The Crossover Ladies
by Trompy
Summary: Fairy Tail x Soul Eater x Black Butler-Two ladies (whom you may replace with your own character) were originally part of Fairy Tail... but during the Edolas arc, they were thrown into a new realm called Earth... one ended up in Ciel Phantomhive's yard, and the other just outside the gates of Death City. Join them in their adventure to get back home and learn their stories!
1. Prologue

Fairy Tail x Soul Eater x Black Butler Crossover

 **Prologue**

All Fairy Tail fans should have heard about the guild's unexpected trip to Edolas; an alternate reality where magic power is scarce. During this adventure the entirety of the guild was transformed into a giant lacrima, leaving the dragon slayers to power the weapon that would destroy the lacrima and restore magic power to Edolas, killing their friends in the process.

However, two members didn't make it to Edolas- instead they ended up in a different reality entirely. They landed on planet Earth. But this wasn't just any Earth, oh no. In a large desert in Arizona, lies a secret place known to all as Death City. It is rumored that the grim reaper himself- Lord Death- lives there. And investigating this hidden city is a young Earl known as Ciel Phantomhive, who has some secrets of his own.

These two members of Fairy Tail are known as *Naomi and *Kashi. They both have a long history with the guild and each other. Arriving upon planet earth they found themselves separated and alone… but not for long.

This incident was a gift in disguise for these two girls. Destiny will show itself by unfolding in ways they never could have imagined, leaving memories that may never fade. Will you stick around to hear their stories?

*You may replace either of the OC's with your own character(s) if you wish!


	2. 1: Introducing!

**Chapter 1**

 **Part 1: Introducing Kashi**

 **Song: Away From The Sun, 3 Doors Down "Can anyone tell where I am?"**

"Naomi, Natsu, Erza, Mira…. Where is everybody?"

A pale girl with mid-shoulder length silvery white hair trudged aimlessly through the desert. Turning her head to scan her surroundings made the dry wind sweep her red bangs into her face. Her green eyes welled with tears of desperation. Nothing could be seen from any direction- not even a cactus. Just sand, heat, arid wind, and a creepy laughing sun that certainly did not belong in Fiore.

"Where the hell am I? This can't possibly be my world, can it?"

After an hour that seemed like an eternity, the girl finally saw a building in the distance. "Good, maybe they can tell me where I am…" With every step the "building" became closer and soon showed itself to be a big city. A city which, unfortunately, was surrounded by a huge wall whose entrance seemed impassable.

Standing in front of what seemed to be the entrance to this city; the young lady brushed her hair out of her face and pounded her fists against it. "Is anyone there? Please let me in!" After a few minutes of pounding an intercom could be heard from above her. The voice was stern and sounded impatient. "State your name."

"Hatake, Kashi. My name is Kashi."

"Are you from around here?"

"No, sir. I was hoping you could tell me…"

"You're lost. Go back home, you don't belong here."

"No, wait- you don't understand, I…"

Before she could finish explaining herself she heard the intercom click off, and tears beaded up in her eyes as she fell to her knees, resting her head against the door.

"I don't know where home is…"

 **Part 2: Introducing Naomi**

Ocean blue eyes slowly opened to find themselves in a grand bedroom adorned with gorgeous swirly patterns and dark colors. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up, scanning her surroundings. "Where the hell am I?" Looking down at her arms she saw she was covered in white bandages. Pulling back the silver sheets shot pain through her entire body. "I must be bruised pretty badly." She was wearing a long white nightgown and her legs were also covered in bandages. "I don't remember any of this…what happened to me?"

She brushed a hand through her dark red hair and prepared herself to get out of bed. As quietly as she could she stepped off the bed and tiptoed to the door. Pressing an ear to the wood she listened for any noise. She heard a faint set of footsteps headed her direction, and quickly returned to the bed just in time for the door to open. A tall handsome man with black hair and red eyes stood before her. "Ah, sorry madam. I did not realize you were awake. Would you like something to eat?" She could only nod, and before she could say thank-you the man had left and was quickly replaced with a young lady. She had big glasses, and looked disheveled.

"H-hello miss! I'm Mei-Rin! I'm here to help you get dressed for lunch, yes I am!" She let herself into the room, shutting the door behind her. The girl just watched Mei-Rin warily as she went into the closet and pulled out a few dresses. "Pick one you like and we'll get you ready for the young master, yes!"

"Young, master?" The red-headed girl repeated, confused. Mei-Rin nodded. "Oh yes! He's been patiently waiting for you to wake up since you got here, yes he has!" She held up all four dresses at once and picked a green one with white accents and sleeves to cover up her bandages. "Ooh yes! Gorgeous dress, yes! What is your name, miss?"

"Naomi Scarlet."

"Beautiful name, Naomi! I like it."

Her green eyes warily scanned the room. "Why am I here?"

"Oh you tell me! Finny found you passed out in the garden a few days ago, whatever were you doing there, miss?"

Naomi scrunched her eyebrows. "Who's Finny?" Naomi shook her head. "Never mind. I honestly don't know… say, where is this exactly?"

Mei-Rin smiled widely. "The Phantomhive Manor in England, miss!"


	3. 2: Battle of the Soul

**Chapter 2**

 **"Battle of the Soul"**

 **Song: Animal I Have Become, Three Days Grace "I can't escape myself… So many times I've tried…"**

Days. It had been days since Kashi found the city in the desert. And despite her best attempts to persuade the guards to let her in, they wouldn't budge. Her now dark red arms and legs were radiating heat from being left under the sun for such a long period of time. Her fists were bloody from banging on the door for countless hours. Her eyes were sandy and her mouth was dry. It amazed her how there was such a lack of people going in and out of the city… in Magnolia there were hundreds of people coming and going from all over the place at all times. She had to remember that this wasn't Magnolia, however, so she shouldn't be expecting anything. For all she knew she was waiting for a ghost to come and let her in to an abandoned city. She sighed, trying to catch the breath she had lost by doing nothing. "Looks like I'm going to die out here."

 _All alone._

Kashi whipped her head around, searching for the mysterious voice. "Who's there?"

 _Nobody cares about you._

The whispering voice seemed to come at Kashi from all directions. _I must be hallucinating_ , she thought to herself.

 _You aren't hallucinating – your friends never cared about you and you know it._

Harshly, she replied. "That's not what I said!" A chuckle could be heard within the depths of her mind.

 _You've been abandoned._

She shook her head in an attempt to ignore the voices. "That's not true."

 _You're all alone._

"I don't want to believe you!"

 _You don't even know if anyone's here, now you're truly alone..._

She gritted her teeth. "Stop it right now!"

 _You'll soon be forgotten._

"You're lying…"

 _It will be as if you never existed._

"I SAID STOP IT!" Kashi gripped her head within her hands, desperately trying to block out the voices. "My friends would never forget about me!" A tone of uncertainty wavered in her voice.

 _They never liked you._

"Well, I guess, maybe with time, but not on purpose."

 _You're a sad excuse for a human being._

"I just don't want to be alone; what's wrong with that!" Her voice cracked, her throat grew a lump within it.

 _Don't flatter yourself - you have always been alone._

Kashi broke down in tears. "I was happy…"

 _Nobody else could be happy with your sorry face hanging around._

"Just go away; when I get home …"

 _Home doesn't want you to come back._

"Please…stop."

 _You couldn't go home if you wanted to, anyway._

"I can make a new home. Here, in memory of my old friends."

 _Friends this, friends that. Don't you realize? You only had "friends" because they felt sorry for you! Did they ever go out of their way to make you happy? No. Did they ever go out of their way to spend time with you? No. Did they ever go out on missions just to be with you? NO! You were a tag-along; only there as a last resort; the person they chose when nobody else was available and going alone wasn't an option!_

Kashi was now angry. Everything the voice said appealed to her like sugar to an ant. She wanted to believe the words weren't true, but she couldn't come up with an excuse. The more it spoke the more she believed it, and the crazier she became. Her head was spinning. Red waves of evil replaced her surroundings and beckoned her closer to a pool of pitch blackness. She felt it radiating insanity. She didn't want to jump in, but found herself wading into the darkness.

 _Why don't you just give up and DIE already?_

With the voice drowning out her own thoughts, Kashi fell into the black pool. Insanity rushed through her body as she tried to breathe. It was suffocating her, and drawing out her darkest desires for revenge. Her eyes turned bloody red as her soul was engulfed by the insanity.

She had fought against her true self and lost.


	4. 3: Amnesia

**Chapter 3**

 **"Amnesia"**

 **Song: Shattered, Trading Yesterday "And I've lost who I am, and I can't understand…"**

Naomi's bright blue eyes scanned her surroundings as Sebastian led her through gorgeously decorated halls and down an elaborately carved staircase. Everything had a unique curvature to it, and floral accents hinted in every piece. One particularly beautiful plant caught her attention on a large dining table. She stopped and gently felt the petals between her fingers. It was a small bunch of flowers, all a rich chocolate color. Sebastian stood to her side, looking down over her shoulder with an uneasy glare.

"That's an extremely rare plant known as Cosmos atrosanguineus, also known as Chocolate Cosmos. It is native to Mexico, but in recent years the population has diminished. This particular flower is thought to be one of five left in the world. I'd quit touching it if I were you." Naomi flinched, taking her hand away from the flower, looking up to Sebastian. "Ah, sorry. It's just so pretty-it even smells like chocolate!" Sebastian forced a smile. "We must continue-the young master is waiting."

Naomi nodded, straightening out her green dress before following the butler once again. He walked through a stone archway before they stepped out into an extremely large garden filled with roses of red and white color. Rose arches and granite paths were to be seen from all sides. Straight ahead of her sat a small table with a pure white cloth, decorated with a bouquet of red roses. The "young master" dressed in a spiffy blue suit sat to one side. Sebastian pulled out the remaining chair for the young lady, and avoiding eye contact she sat down and the butler pushed her in, bowing to her and the master. "Young master, shall I go get your meals now?"

The boy nodded, looking at the lady before him. "Yes." Naomi looked up to see the young master had deep blue eyes similar to hers. Scratch that, only one. The other was covered with an eye patch. He held a teacup in his hands. Taking a sip, he watched Naomi closely. "So, I suppose you have many questions. Would you like to vocalize any of them?" She took a deep breath, looking around the garden. "Well, for starters, how should I address you, sir?" He gave a slight laugh. "Call me Ciel. No need to be formal: we are engaged, after all." Naomi backed up in her chair and looked at him with eyes wide and gaze judging. "What the hell? How?" Ciel showed a slight grin, taking another sip of his tea. "It's simple. While you were knocked out Sebastian did a full background search on you."

As on queue, the butler in discussion strolled out of the building with two appetizers in hand. Simple salads. He placed them down on the table and filled both of your cups with fresh liquid before disappearing into the mansion again. Ciel turned his attention back to Naomi. "Since we couldn't find anything about you, we asked around the noble families. One of the families I would really benefit joining forces with made the best offer. They would provide you the family you lack, vice versa, and I would marry you and your family into my fortune and business, vice versa." Naomi scoffed at him, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Why don't I get a say in anything?" Ciel glared at her. "You have no memories, am I correct?" She nodded hesitantly. "And you have no place to stay or go, correct?" She sighed, nodding again. "Then you have no right to have your own say. You are indebted to me, and in a way I am also indebted to you. Without you I wouldn't get such an amazing business opportunity, as well as a way out of marrying my idiot cousin." He snickered. "To think you just happened to appear out of nowhere in my garden."

Sebastian emerged from the mansion again, this time with the main course. Naomi couldn't help by slouch a little in her chair; everything was incredibly sudden and just felt wrong. She kept her attention on the garden and the beautiful weather as Ciel sat in content while eating his food and drinking his tea, making sure he babbles on about his work and how he is the favorite pet of the queen, whoever that is. "Oh, by the way…" Naomi turned to Ciel, hoping he didn't ask a question about whatever he was talking about. "Our wedding is scheduled for next week." Naomi choked on her cake. "Wait…what?" Ciel chuckled. "Our wedding, to seal the deal between our two families. It's going to be held next week. So please, don't hurt yourself by then. I need you to be presentable." Naomi nodded, and continued to not pay any attention to Ciel.

Sebastian made his way through the mansion, cleaning what he could and making sure the employees weren't destroying the building. He walked past the large indoor dining table, and stopped dead in his tracks. His attention was drawn to the Chocolate Cosmos plant. His anger boiled as he looked it over. It's once smooth brown petals were now crispy and black, almost charred. The green stems were jagged and dull, and even the dirt it was potted in was bone dry. His demonic red eyes glared out into the garden where he watched his beloved young master boast about his wedding plans with this untrusting young lady. There was something off about her, and he intended to keep her away from his young master with any means necessary.

 _The young master belongs to me, you half demon savage!_

-Skippy skip!-

After Naomi was done eating with Ciel, she tried making her way back to her room. She stopped and looked at all the beautiful plants along the way. Ferns, roses, orchids, all kinds could be found throughout the mansion. She found herself getting lost, and after a half hour of wandering, she found a familiar library. Walking into it she wandered over to a plant she had been viewing previously and frowned at what she saw. The petals were turning black and the stems were curling. She gently tried lifting the plant up to see underneath it, but as soon as her fingers touched the plant, all color was drained from it and seemed as if she was sucking the life out of the it. She gasped, removing her hand from the plant. She looked around frantically, and found another plant she had viewed. It was also turning black and dying. She ran out into the hallway and looked over every single plant she touched, and they were all the same. Heart racing and mind spinning, she found a plant she hadn't touched and pressed her finger up against the stem, hoping it was just a coincidence. Almost instantaneously the plant withered and died, seemingly faster because of her stressed state of mind. She blindly ran through the halls and stumbled across her room. Slamming the door shut behind her, she buried her face in her pillow and sobbed. Everything was different, everything was moving fast, and now she seemed to suck the life out of plants. What if she could do that to Ciel? She didn't want to hurt anyone or anything, but why was it happening?

Many questions later, she slipped into an exhausted deep sleep. An hour into her slumber Sebastian stormed into her room, red eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to scorn her but refrained when he saw she was sleeping. _The young master wouldn't be happy if I hurt a pretty little hair on her head…_ he thought to himself. Glaring at the sleeping lady, he made his exit out of her room.

"I won't hold back if you hurt my master."

-DREAMLAND YO-

Naomi's scarlet red hair whipped in the wind. The entire landscape was dead and grey. Everything lacked color, except for a river of blood she could see in the distance. Looking around she saw scattered trees without a single leaf on them, a large building to her left, and a short silhouetted figure to her right. A sweet, familiar female voice spoke in her head. "You have to remember." Naomi looked around, her blue eyes searching for anything else living. "My name is Mavis. Don't give in to the darkness."

The figure to her right extended a hand and spoke. "The pain will be too much to bear. Come with me and forget it all."

"Ciel?" Naomi called out. The figure's face came into focus, and it was indeed Ciel. She took a step back and turned around, seeing figures with blurred faces surround the building. A flag with an emblem she couldn't quite remember flew in the air. A mixture of familiar voices flooded the air, stirring up memories she couldn't remember.

"We're your family."

"Don't you remember us?"

"We won't let you forget about us!"

"We'll never forget about you, no matter what."

"I'm all fired up now!"

"When you get back we should split a strawberry cake together!"

Naomi's eyes filled with tears. The voices were so familiar, and sounded so friendly, yet she couldn't remember who they belonged to. The clothes they wore seemed like something she would see every day, and yet their faces were blurred and she couldn't bring a name to any of them, no matter how close to the tip of her tongue they seemed to be. Ciel spoke up behind her. "Do you really want to remember what you've done?"

Naomi looked at the boy, uncertain about his words. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Maybe you wanted to forget. Has that ever crossed your mind?"

She shook her head, looking back at the familiar, yet blurred faces.

"Maybe you were such an awful person, that they all abandoned you. I'm the only one willing to deal with you."

She shook her head. "That doesn't sound right… they all cared for me so deeply, I can feel it!"

Ciel scoffed at her words. "Who's to say you didn't kill them all? You can kill plants, why not people?"

She gasped at the thought. "No…"

Then the soft voice from earlier spoke up within her head once again. "He is not kind. He does not love. Therefore, neither can you."

Naomi glanced around, looking for the owner of the voice, to no avail. "You must learn to love and be kind, and surround yourself with those who are kind and love you back. Only then can you learn to heal."

Ciel cut in. "You are indebted to me."

The voice in her head answered him. "You must remember your past."

"The past is painful."

"Pain is necessary for growth and change."

"The past changes nothing."

"One's past is the key to who they are today."

Naomi dropped to her knees and screamed. "JUST SHUT UP!"

The figures dissipated into the air, leaving Naomi by herself in the dull and colorless landscape. She took deep breaths and closed her eyes as everything faded to black once again.

-More Skippy Skip!-

Ciel called Naomi into his office later that day after she awoke from her nap to talk about what her part in his life is going to be. Basically, he told her she is going to interview people and just be another Sebastian for him. She sat in a chair in front of his desk as he sipped on tea, flipping through documents. "I'm not on the best terms with Sebastian right now, so if you could stay by my side in his absence that would be optimal. I don't request much of you, just follow me and do as I say without asking any questions. Any questions?" Naomi shook her head, and Ciel nodded. "Good." The young master continued to talk about his plans for her, but she couldn't focus. Remnants of her dream continued to float into her subconscious and she couldn't help but think about it. What did it all mean? Was it warning her about something?

Sebastian knocked on the door, and entered with tea, as well as a letter. Naomi perked up and watched as Ciel read the letter, avoiding eye contact with Sebastian, and nodded before looking over to her. "The queen wants us to take a trip to Death City and investigate a mass murder that happened three days ago. Reports say that this one person killed fifty people in a matter of hours. She went mad, and needs to be questioned to see if she is of any threat to anyone else. She writes: 'This is not the only reason you are going to Death City. Lord Death said he has valuable Intel on a Kishin, and this insanity wavelength might be the reason so many murders are occurring around the world. We need to investigate this phenomenon as well.'"

"Sebastian!" The butler bowed to his master. "Yes, my lord?" "We are heading to Death City tonight! Lord Death is your manager of sorts, so you should have some tricks up your sleeve as of how to get there." Sebastian left the room to make arrangements, and Naomi's focus went back to Ciel. "So, why do I need to come?" Ciel sighed. "Weren't you listening at all? You are my new personal attendant. You will become an invaluable interviewer: that is your purpose now." He looked at her angrily, and she quietly nodded. Suddenly Ciel's evil gaze turned softer, and he looked toward his fiancé. "Looks like our wedding for next week will have to be postponed, sorry about that." Naomi just looked away and sighed quietly with relief as Ciel boasted on about how extravagant the wedding was supposed to be in order to sell the deal with her adoptive family. _The longer I can postpone this, the better…_

Suddenly Ciel got up and reached out to brush some hair away from her face. Naomi flinched, and startled Ciel. He looked at her with a troubled expression, as she stuttered. "I, ah, sorry. I don't really like to be touched…" Ciel shrugged, and watched her with a careful eye as she stood from her chair and exited the room without another word. She made a quick escape to her room, but not before Sebastian saw her from down below and pierced her soul with his burning red eyes. _I don't want to hurt anyone…_


	5. 4: Death the Kidd's Kindness

**Chapter 4**

 **"Death the Kidd's Kindness"**

 **Song: Gods & Monsters, Jessica Lange "You got that medicine I need"**

"Kidd, Liz, Patty. Come to the Death Room immediately."

The school intercom rang out within the classroom. Liz and Patti stood quickly and made haste exiting the classroom as Kidd took time to symmetrically crumple the test in front of him. "I couldn't write my name perfectly anyway…" He slowly stood from his seat and took his time fixing his suit. Liz poked her head in the room. "Hurry up, Kidd!"

Sighing, he gave his paper one last glare and followed his weapons out into the hallway. The three made their way to the Death room. Liz spoke up. "Any idea what your father wants?"

Patti laughed. "Nope!"

Kidd walked on calmly. "It's probably new information about Asura." Liz nodded, Patti following behind humming and skipping. When they reached the end of the guillotine hall they saw Lord Death speaking with Spirit through the mirror. Death spun around and confronted the kids in his usual happy tone.

"Hey hey, Kiddo! We've got some bad news!"

"What is it, father?"

"It seems there is a young woman going around Death City killing innocent people to eat their souls!"

Spirit spoke up from behind Lord Death. "Reports say she was previously sitting outside the front gates for a few days waiting for entrance. She seemed harmless enough, and then just broke down the door like it was nothing."

Liz nodded. "Sounds like she went crazy in the heat."

"If she isn't stopped soon she might turn Kishin." Kidd spoke with a serious expression.

Lord Death bounced around. "So, it's up to you to figure out what to do with her!"

Liz sighed as Kidd nodded. "Yes, Father. Where should we head first?"

"To the eastern-most part of the city- she was heading in that direction last we heard." With a quick nod, Kidd summoned beezlebub and Liz and Patti transformed into their weapon forms. In a flash the trio were gone and heading towards this troublesome woman.

It only took them a few minutes to find the location of the young woman. Houses were burnt to the ground; people were scattered and running away from a pinpoint direction. Kidd tensed – the symmetry of his mighty city was destroyed. This person had to pay…

The exact location was easy to find – her soul's wavelength was very strong and powerful. "For such an amazing soul, how did she go insane?"

They saw her in an alleyway, cornering a young child. Kidd dropped down into the alleyway behind her, and shot a few rounds at her, all missing. She whipped her head around and glared at the young reaper, giving her victim, a young boy, a chance to escape. She stomped her way towards Kidd, and he simply stood there, pointing his guns at her.

It was her hair. The girl's hair was a silvery white in the back and sides, with her front and the sides of her face being a rich red color. He had never seen anything like it before, and had a hard time shooting her. He noticed her eyes were a dark, evil red and instantly knew that the real person was still in there somewhere. Her body language and attacks yelled evil, but somewhere in her eyes pleaded for help. "What are you waiting for, take her out!" Liz spoke up, breaking Kidd out of his trance. Suddenly the girl ran up to Kidd and attempted to disarm him with quick hand-to-hand combat. Kidd dodged all of her attacks as he looked into her pleading eyes. _I wonder what her eyes really look like._

"Hit her already, you idiot!" Liz yelled at Kidd. This filled Kidd with anger. He had to save her. _Usually I would just take them out…but I can't bring myself to kill this one. I can't bring myself to kill her._

Before Kidd could come up with a good counter-attack the girl spit up a wad of something and plastered it onto Kidd. Liz gasped. "What the hell is that?" Kidd was speechless, and the mystery girl smiled and jumped back. "Boom." A beeping was heard from the white stuff on Kidd's sleeve and his eyes went wide. He managed to fling it off of him seconds before it blew up, ruining a house and leaving a hole in the ground. She growled as he put Liz and Patti in his pockets. "Why won't you fight me, stripey?"

Kidd tensed, and Patti giggled hysterically. "Ha-ha! She called you stripey!"

Liz was furious. "Don't you dare go into a symmetry rage right now, Kidd!" Kidd took a deep breath and dodged another attack from the girl, this time shooting explosive balls of magic at him from her mouth. She kept throwing attacks at him, and he easily dodged them all. "You should just give up. It's pointless to try and attack me."

The girl frowned. "Then just kill me already!"

Kidd bit his cheek in annoyance. "Why would I ask you to give up when I could just kill you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not an idiot like you."

Kidd began making his way closer to her while avoiding her mysterious attacks. "No. You're wrong. YOU are the idiot for giving up like this and abandoning your friends!" She growled. "You have friends, don't you?"

There was a very faint pause, and Kidd noticed her attacks became weaker. "I didn't abandon my friends; they abandoned me!"

Kidd made his way to arm's length away. "I don't believe you." _I need her to remember who she is and come out of this rage!_

"Why should you care?! Nobody else ever has!"

"I'm caring right now – for your well-being and my city! Isn't that enough to make an effort on your part?"

She chuckled, tears welling up in her possessed eyes. "See? It happened again, Kashi. You're still second best. This time to a freaking city! Pathetic of you isn't it!"

Kidd became confused. The voice just then wasn't hers; it was the voice of insanity. It was talking her into her own doubts. _So Kashi's her name._ "You bastard…"

The voice continued speaking. "This one's soul is too strong. I need to keep her locked up in order to truly take over her soul! So you'll be speaking to me from now on."

Kidd's expression was that of pure anger. "Leave her alone!"

A massive power emitted itself in waves around her as the insanity within her laughed hysterically. "Her doubts are very strong. It wasn't very hard to subdue her will to live." Kidd pulled out Liz and Patti. "I will use this body to help spread insanity! Thanks to Asura, I can take over Death City once again!"

"Soul Resonance!" Liz and Patti turned into their cannon forms. Kidd's fury was unmatched.

Liz started. "Resonance Rate at 5%! Kidd, you'll kill her!"

Patti continued. "Noise at 0.4 %!"

Kidd tensed. "It's not going to hurt the body – only the insanity within it!"

Kashi tensed. "Wait, what do you think you are doing?!"

"Anti-Insanity Cannon Attack!" Before the girl could jump away Liz and Patti fired their new attack. Kidd was pushed back a few yards. For a few seconds the only thing anyone could see was a plume of smoke. When it cleared, Kidd let Liz and Patti turn into their human forms and walked toward Kashi, watching closely as she lay still on the ground. Coming closer he could no longer sense any insanity from her. "It seems like it worked…"

He bent down and looked her over. Liz hung back a few feet. "Is she going to be okay, Kidd?" The young reaper nodded. "Yeah." Kidd sighed, beginning to pick the girl up from the ground. Without warning she grabbed his shirt, and she opened her eyes. They were a gorgeous shade of green. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. "Naomi…and Mirajane…Natsu…Gray…they're all gone…" Kidd found himself at a loss for words, and before he could say anything to comfort her she passed out, leaning up against Kidd. He tried to pull away but found she was still holding onto his shirt with a death grip. Liz and Patti came closer. "Need any help Kidd?"

He nodded. "Yes – we need to take her to the school infirmary. Stein should probably look her over. I cannot confirm the long-lasting effects of that attack."

Liz nodded. "Okay."

With mostly Liz's help, Kidd was able to pick up the unconscious girl and carry her to the school. Not once did she let go of his shirt until he lay her down on one of the empty beds in the infirmary. Her soul had calmed down and seemed to simply be sleeping. Liz and Patti went back to class while Kidd stayed behind and looked after Kashi until Professor Stein arrived.

Within a half hour class was wrapped up and Stein was able to check on the mystery girl. Stein took over and Kidd headed to the Death Room to give his father an update on their situation. Kidd couldn't help but wonder where she had come from – her soul wavelength was great, but she seemed normal enough. He shrugged off the questions and faced his father.

"Hey hey hey, Kiddo! How'd it go?"

"Target has been captured and is back to normal. She is currently in the infirmary being looked over by Professor Stein. I fired an anti-insanity cannon attack I didn't even know I had, which seemed to cure her." Lord Death nodded as Kidd continued. "She seems to possess a magical ability to fire explosives. It's nothing like I've ever seen before."

Lord Death bounced around. "Oooh, very interesting! I can see why you wouldn't want to kill such a potential asset to the academy. I'm proud of you as always, Kiddo!"

"Thanks, Dad."

Lord Death turned his back to Kidd, answering a call on the mirror. The young shiginami took his leave, heading back for the infirmary. Kashi almost had to be of a different world, or some special kind of witch. But her soul: it didn't make sense.

Kidd knocked on the infirmary door and entered slowly. Stein was standing next to Kashi's bed, checking her vitals. He turned around, facing Kidd. "She's going to be fine. Everything's stable, and there aren't any signs of being a witch or some kind of demon. She's a normal human being like the rest of us." Kidd sighed with relief. "I would love to dissect her though…"

Kidd yelled. "Don't you even think about it!"

Stein chuckled. "I'm just Kidding. Partly. Anyway, she might be knocked out for a few days, so why don't you go home and come back tomorrow?" Kidd nodded, and with one last look at the girl he tried to leave all his questions in the room, and went home to rest.

Whispering could be heard within the room. Slowly opening her eyes, she scanned around the room and saw a man with white hair talking with a boy about her age with stripes in his black hair. She attempted to sit up, only to have pain shoot through her entire body. She gasped, which grabbed the attention of the two men in the room. Kidd ran over to her side, ready to help but afraid to touch her. "Are you okay?"

Her green eyes looked at him with caution. "Who are you?"

He sighed. "Right… I'm Kidd Death. You're Kashi, correct?"

She nodded, and then Stein pushed Kidd aside. He held out a hand. "I'm Professor Stein. I'm the doctor here. You've been out for three days; how do you feel?"

She shook his hand, wincing at the pain. "Three days?" Kidd was behind Stein, on his knees begging. "Please say eight! Three is good and all but eight is perfectly symmetrical!"

Both Kashi and Stein looked down at Kidd. "What is he doing?" Stein sighed and looked back at his patient. "He does this a lot. Just ignore him, he'll go away eventually."

Kidd grunted, standing back up and fixing his suit. "No I won't. I have too many questions." The girl sighed, falling back down onto her pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Go ahead, ask away. You won't believe me anyway." Stein nodded. "Alright. Then how about you start by telling us what that mark on your shoulder represents."

She turned her attention out the window. "It's my guild mark."

Kidd's golden eyes lit up with curiosity. "A guild mark?"

Kashi nodded. "Yes. A guild is a place in my land where mages can take jobs and make friends. It's like having another family."

Stein sat down on the bed next to hers, a notebook and paper in hand, jotting down any notes. Kidd stayed standing, watching her expression as it saddened. She told the two of them where she came from, and they confirmed that she was not of this world, which also confirmed Kidd's suspicions about her powers. It was a form of magic, like witches, instead of soul wavelengths like weapons and meisters of Death Academy.

Stein was able to question her about her type of magic, but she was unwilling to explain how she learned it. Stein placed an anti-magic cuff around her wrist just in case, and then left her in Kidd's care while he talked with Lord Death. The silence was awkward, and Kashi just looked out the window again, contemplating her options of escape only to remember she had nowhere to go and might as well stay where she was. When she closed her eyes for a moment she saw Kidd's face, and remembered that he was the one who saved her. She quickly turned to him, and he looked at her with confusion. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but she cut him off. "I totally forgot – thank you. For saving me." She looked away seconds after her confession. He just smiled. "It was nothing, really." She sniffled. "And I'm sorry about your city."

Kidd chuckled. "Don't be so harsh on yourself. I was more worried about you getting better than the city." She laughed, looking back at him. "Really?" He nodded. "Of course. I haven't left your side for more than an hour or so at a time since you've been in here." He said so as a matter-of-fact, but Kashi couldn't help but blush. It sounded like something her friends back home would do for her.

The doorknob turned and Stein walked into the room. "Kashi, it seems you have some visitors."


	6. 5: Somebody Familiar

**Chapter 5**

 **"Somebody Familiar"**

 **Song: Ironic, Alanis Morissette "Who would have thought… it figures."**

Kashi raised an eyebrow. "Me? I don't know anybody here."

A young boy with bluish black hair, deep blue eyes and an eyepatch walked into the room with them. His eyes were cold, and he stared directly at Kashi. "Are you the one who killed all those people a few days ago?" Kashi's eyes teared up a little, and she avoided eye contact. "Well, yes…" Then Kidd cut in. "It was an accident, sir. It's not really her fault." She looked apologetically to Kidd before turning her attention to the window. "But in all technicalities, I did."

Ciel but in. "How is it not her fault? She clearly killed innocent people."

Kidd glared at the short boy. "Who are you anyway?"

Stein spoke up. "This is Lord Phantomhive from England. He looks into murder cases mostly in his country, but the Queen felt this case would be a threat to England, and asked him to come here and check it out."

Kidd refused to break eye contact. "Then you should know about the increased amounts of insanity around the world right now. Kashi was just a victim of the insanity and acted irrationally. She isn't a threat anymore."

Ciel began to protest only to be stopped by a tall, black haired butler with striking red eyes who also entered the room, with a young lady at his side. "Young master, I know more about the situation than you do. I say we should leave the poor girl alone. Young shiginami-sama has taken precautions in the situation and the girl shall not be a threat to us anymore."

Ciel scoffed. "Fine. Only if she stays under his observation."

Kashi looked back to Ciel, breaking her gaze from the window. The girl standing next to the butler caught her attention. She gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. "Naomi!"

The girl looked up from the papers in her hands. Her bright blue eyes were confused. "What?" Kashi attempted to get out of bed, only to fall back from how sore her muscles were. Kidd put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. "Please don't hurt yourself."

Kashi looked at her friend. "Naomi, it's me, Kashi! Your guildmate from Fairy Tail, don't you remember me?!" The girl shook her head apologetically, her scarlet curls falling into her face. "Sorry…I recently lost all my memories." Kashi mumbled, trying to find something to say. "Uh, your hand! See the mark on your hand? I have one too, here!" She showed her the red guild mark on her shoulder, and Naomi stared at it wide eyed. "How? I thought mine was just a weird tattoo of some sort…" Kashi sighed, tears streaming down her face. Kidd rubbed her shoulders, looking at Ciel and the others who came with him. "I'm sorry; could you please give us a moment?"

Sebastian led the young master and his fiancé into the hallway. Sebastian looked down upon his young master. "You were a little harsh on the young lady, sir." Ciel stuck his nose up to him. "She is a murderer. She deserves death. I was being nice." Naomi looked at Ciel with a sad smile. "She seems to know me; shouldn't we learn more about her so we can learn more about where I came from?"

He shook his head. "It's a waste of time. You're already engaged to me, you're a valuable asset and I'm not letting you out of my sight. Learning about your past will change nothing. Sebastian! Take us to Lord Death. He'll know what to do next."

"Yes, my lord."

Naomi sighed. _I'm grateful to Ciel, but why do I feel so, weird, when I'm around him? Almost like a cloud hanging over my head that just won't go away…_ She followed Ciel and Sebastian to wherever they were going. Not knowing who she was or what she was doing here, she felt almost pointless being there. Knowing that Kashi obviously knew her, she felt a strong connection to get to know her better. _I'll try to get Ciel to stay in Death City for a while longer._


	7. 6: Regrets

**Chapter 6**

 **"Regrets"**

 **Song: Hold My Heart, Tenth Avenue North "Hear the sound of my breaking heart…"**

Back in Earthland on the outskirts of Magnolia, Grey, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Happy and Charla were dropped out of the sky. They had returned from Edolas. Everyone cheered and made their way back to the guild as fast as they could. Natsu was excited to meet Lisanna again, but after a few words he realized someone was missing. "Hey guys, where's Naomi?"

Erza looked around. "That's strange. Now that I think about it, I didn't see her in Edolas, either." Wendy spoke up. "Maybe she's still out in the forest somewhere?" Natsu nodded; his face serious. "I'll go look for her." A few guild members began to offer some help in the matter, but Natsu had already ran out of the building and was yelling for his friend. He even left Happy sitting next to Lisanna. "NAOMI!" He yelled, over and over again. He ran up and down the streets of Magnolia, and made a huge circle around the city and found no trace of her or her scent anywhere. "NAOMI!" He was exhausted, and night had already fallen with no sign of Naomi. Natsu leaned up against a tree in the forest and slid down so he was sitting. He covered his eyes as tears began running down his face. He sobbed before screaming into the night, his face twisted with anger, regret, and sadness. "Why? Why the hell isn't she here?" His knuckles were turning white from being clenched so hard, and he began punching the ground with flaming fists. "Why! WHY!"

He stood up and flew a punch at the tree he was previously sitting against, and in that one hit the tree broke in half and flew a few hundred yards away from where it once stood. Natsu punched down a couple dozen trees, screaming as he did so. Happy found Natsu, and pulled on his scarf to try and stop him. "Natsu, you've gotta calm down!" Natsu turned around, his eyes red with anger. "LEAVE ME ALONE, HAPPY!"

Happy's eyes filled with tears as he sat back and watched as Natsu's punches became weaker, soon not even leaving a dent in the trees he attacked. Natsu choked on his tears as his flame went out and he fell to his knees. Happy came up and gave him a hug. Natsu cried, picking up his friend and hugging him back, holding on to him for dear life. "I'm sorry, Happy…"

Happy looked up at Natsu, fears flowing down his face. "You didn't get to tell her, did you?"

Natsu shook his head. Happy dug his face into his friend's scarf as Natsu replied.

"No. I didn't."


	8. 7: New Friends

**Chapter 7**

 **"New Friends/ Potato"**

 **Song: Terrified, Among Savages "I'm terrified…and ruined by this mess."**

It had been a week since Kashi had found herself in the Death City Academy for weapons and meisters. And today, she was finally going to be allowed out of the school. She needed new clothes and a tour of the place she might very well learn to call home.

Maka was the first to accompany Kashi on her exploration since Kidd was on a mission. The white haired boy Soul joined them. They found it difficult to get a smile out of the girl, but that was to be expected. Just walking down a few halls of the academy, Maka was able to deduct that Kashi was shy, kind, and quite the introvert. She could tell it was going to take some effort to get on her good side.

Maka smiled at Kashi, who looked around in obvious confusion. "You lost yet?" Kashi nodded. "I'll never learn where I'm going around here." Maka laughed as Kashi's eyes got wide as they took yet another turn through the seemingly endless maze. "Does it ever end?!"

"I actually met Soul while I was blindly wandering these halls on my first day." Kashi grinned. "Oh really? Was he any help?"

Maka scoffed. "Of course not." Soul groaned. Kashi looked at Maka. "Sounds like you two have known each other a long time." Maka nodded, and Soul chuckled. "It sure feels like an eternity…" Maka pulled a hard-cover book out of thin air and smacked Soul on the head with it for his comment. This got a laugh out of Kashi – the first one either of them had heard from her since she arrived.

"You guys remind me of my friends back home. It's nice." Soul smiled a spiky grin. Maka grabbed Kashi's hand, and she flinched back, but Maka held on. "Come on! We're almost to the front doors! You're going to love how the academy looks!" Kashi's eyes brightened. The click on their shoes filled the halls as they all made a mad dash towards the doors. With a bang Maka burst through the doors first, holding them open for Kashi to follow through. Soul stood back with Maka as Kashi ran out into the sun and stood open armed in the sun's warming rays. Being inside for so long made her eyes burn in the light, and it took her a minute of blinking tears away in order to properly see the grand city in front of her. Her green eyes widened, and she gasped. "It's huge!" She turned to look at Soul and Maka, but was instantly distracted by the school building. She noted its grand scale and perfect symmetry. "It's so cool! These are nothing like the building's we've got at home." Soul rolled his eyebrows as Maka jumped excitedly. "Just wait until you see the shops I'm going to take you to!" Kashi frowned at Maka. "I really wish I had my own money so Lord Death wouldn't have to do this for me…" She blushed, looking down at her tattered clothing. "But it's not like I can go home to change…" Maka started down the grand staircase. "Don't worry about it! Lord Death's like a father to all of us. He always makes sure we're well taken care of. Come on! We need to get you a new wardrobe and move you into your new place before supper!"

Kashi blinked, one eyebrow raising. "New place?" Soul gently hit Kashi on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it – we've got it covered!" The poor silver and red haired lady ran out of breath far before they reached the bottom of the stairs. Maka and Soul weren't even winded. Kashi refused to sit down out of stubbornness, and was left to try and catch her breath as they continued to travel on foot, following an overly-excited Maka. Soul walked next to Kashi, keeping an eye on her and making sure she didn't pass out. Kashi looked at him, his spiky teeth flashing at her in a grin, reminding her of Natsu. He shook his head at her. "You sure are stubborn aren't you? Well, you'll get used to Maka pretty quick." Kashi smiled as she realized, she had just made some new friends.

An excruciatingly long hour later, Kashi finally had a small pile of clothes she wanted to buy. Various tank tops, shorts, a couple pair of jeans, pajamas, one skirt, a new black hoodie to replace the one she was wearing, and obviously some nice bras and underwear. To which Soul's nose had bled all over the store.

Maka had convinced Kashi to get the skirt to go with a nice top, just so she would have something nice, because she flatly refused to try on dresses. And, according to Kashi, she "liked to sit like a man" and therefore "couldn't wear nice things".

They exited the store, and headed towards the place that Kashi would be staying. She looked to Maka. "So you're saying I don't have to live in the infirmary anymore?" Maka laughed. "Of course not! You'll be staying at our house until Kidd gets back- then you can move in with him." Kashi's face turned bright red. "W-wait, what?" Soul snickered. "Looks like Kashi has a crush." Maka readied her book, and Soul cowered behind Kashi.

Maka sighed. "Kidd lives in a mansion with Liz and Patti, his weapons. Lord Death wants you to stay there so Kidd can keep an eye on you." Kashi couldn't force herself to tone down the blush she had on her face. It had only been a week, but Kidd made her a priority each day. He would check in on her every hour to see how she was, and even though she never really spoke to him other than the one time, thanking him for saving her life, she grew attached to the asymmetrical reaper boy. A few times he symmetrically organized the medicine bottles, as well as the books Maka had brought for her to read while she was recovering. Something about all his little quirks made her feel… something. She looked at Maka, confused. "Why can't I just live with you guys?" Soul shrugged. "Don't look at us-that's what Lord Death wants. What's so bad about living with Kidd anyway?" Kashi looked to Maka. "I, I don't want him to hate me…" Maka scoffed. "Hate you? Who on earth could hate you? You're an angel!" Kashi shrugged, her blush finally fading. "I'm a very complicated person." Soul shook his head. "Have you MET Kidd? He is the definition of complicated. I'm sure you'll get along fine." Maka laughed. "Isn't that the truth?"

The trio made it to Soul and Maka's apartment. It was pretty clean, and they even had a cat! Kashi dropped her bag on the floor and reached for the sleeping cat on the couch. "CAAAATTTTT" She loudly whispered. She picked up the cat and cuddled it, and when it awoke and stretched, Soul and Maka were prepared for a scream when she spoke. "Hey, who are you, new human?" But Kashi didn't even flinch. "Kittyyyyy~ what's your name? Do you fly too?" The cat looked uncaring towards Soul and Maka. "Who is this?" Maka replied. "Uh, that's Kashi. She might be staying with us for a few days." She nodded. "Okay. I'm Blair! It's nice to have another big-breasted woman in the house!" Kashi let Blair down, and to Kashi's surprise she turned into a woman. "Woah, how do you do that?" Blair smiled. "I have a lot of magic power for a cat." Blair looked Kashi up and down with her feline eyes. "Nice rack. Not quite as nice as mine, though." Kashi blushed furiously, and Soul fell to the floor, nose bleeding profusely.

Maka pushed Blair out of the way and handed Kashi a towel and her new pajamas. "The bathroom is right over there… get yourself clean and we should be almost ready for supper when you're done!" She smiled, and Kashi nodded. "Thank you, Maka." Soul stood back up and sighed, ready to make supper. Blair leaned up against Kashi, and she pulled away, uncomfortable with the sudden contact. "May I join you?" Soul's second massive nosebleed left him unconscious on the floor. "Uh, no thanks, Blair." Blair pouted as Maka pulled her away again. "Why can't I get a pretty lady to take a bath with me?" Maka glared at her, but didn't say anything more.

Kashi entered the tiled room and locked the door behind her. Undressing, she looked in the mirror, and sighed. "I wonder if Kidd thinks I'm cute? He's so handsome it isn't even funny…" She looked into her own green eyes, and looked away. "Nah. Nobody could love me."

She took a long bath and got dressed in her new fuzzy pajamas. When she exited, the food was minutes from being ready. The three ate, conversed a little, and made plans for tomorrow. When Kashi went to bed, she forced Blair to come with her and ultimately fell asleep on Kashi's breasts. Kashi found herself staring awake for a long while, as she did most nights. Thinking about how her friends were doing. Was it just her and Naomi in this world? How can Naomi not remember her at all? She thought about how much she missed Natsu, Happy, Mirajane, Gildarts, Makarov, and everyone else back home. She fell asleep knowing she had a very important mission to complete in this world- if she couldn't get home she had to at least get Naomi to remember her past. At least then, they wouldn't be alone.


	9. 8: Damn Demons

**Chapter 8**

 **"Damn Demons"**

 **Song: Dance with the Devil, Breaking Benjamin "I can see right through all your empty lies… Don't you dare look at him in the eye."**

"Do you remember this woman?"

Ciel held out a photo of Kashi. The lady he confronted shook her head. "No, am I supposed to?"

Naomi sighed. This was the fifth hour they had been at this. Going around, showing Kashi's picture to anyone who would give them the time of day, and asking questions about the attack. Ciel was looking for any reason to have the poor girl executed. Sebastian followed behind him, and Naomi tagged along. Her feet were sore from these heeled shoes; she had a feeling she never wore these before the memory wipe. She sat down on a nearby bench as Ciel went through his same questioning routine with this random lady. Almost nobody saw Kashi's face, and those who did were most likely dead. Only two people so far that he had talked to was affected by the attack; a family member lost, or a house destroyed, but nothing to help Ciel's case. They were all sympathetic to the girl, if anything. She overheard this lady say "Oh, Kashi! Lord Death's son took a liking to her. She couldn't have done any of those horrible things on purpose or they would have her locked up by now. Madness is a curious thing."

Sebastian tapped on Naomi's shoulder and lured her into a nearby alleyway while Ciel was busy asking questions in the market. She was just about to ask what he wanted to talk about when he took her by surprise and pinned her up against the wall. She squeaked in pain; her head hit the brick of the building and the force of the impact took the wind right out of her. Her bright blue eyes shone with fear as Sebastian glared down at her. "You… I don't know how, but you have the power to destroy life. You aren't a demon, and you aren't a human. You puzzle me. But, if you hurt my master, I will kill you myself. Got it?"

Naomi nodded furiously. Sebastian dropped her, and she fell to her knees. Tears came to her eyes as he walked away to accompany Ciel. He turned, and glared one more time. "Don't touch him." She could feel her knees were bleeding from the sudden impact with the ground. She held back a sob as she covered her eyes with her hands.

"I never asked for this… what's wrong with me?!"

She composed herself and stood up, happy to see that her dress was covering her scraped knees. She brushed herself off and emerged from the alleyway to see Ciel never even noticed she was gone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Liz and Patti walking around. It was then she remembered what Kashi had said. We knew each other before, right? So she must know why this happens to me… I need to see her!

With that knowledge, she decided tonight was as good a night as ever to sneak out of the house. She needed to see Kashi.

"I may owe a lot to Ciel… but I deserve to know who I am!"


	10. 9: Getting Settled

**Chapter 9**

 **"Getting Settled"**

 **Song: The Middle, Jimmy Eat World "It's only in your head you feel left out."**

Maka made sure Kashi was up and ready to head over to Kidd's place by 7:30 in the morning so that they could get there at exactly 8am; Kidd had insisted on the time. Kashi wore a sweatshirt over a nice white blouse since the morning air was chilly and wet, and it didn't help that she insisted on being "cute" for Kidd, so she wore a skirt. Maka had her hair down and was planning on going home to take a nap when she got back home. Soul had stayed back at the house; you couldn't get him up before noon on a Saturday to save his life.

Yet, Kashi was the same way and there she was, walking down a quiet street at the same time as the sun was just starting to show itself over the horizon. She yawned, her green eyes watering. Maka looked over to her new friend and smiled, impressed by how cute she made herself look for the move. "You definitely didn't strike me as the type who would put their appearance over sleep."

Kashi chuckled. "I'm not. I did minimal work. And I plan on taking a nap later." Maka raised an eyebrow as Kashi stared forward, refusing eye contact and pulling her suitcase along with her. "Oh really? The girl who, yesterday, didn't even want to wear pants to bed?"

"Hey!" Kashi glared playfully. "I flip from side to side, and pants pull and get all bunched up. They're a pain. Once you drop 'em, you'll never go back." Maka laughed. "Okay, sure." She jogged in front of Kashi, then turned around, walking backwards, forcing eye contact. "I saw the way you looked at Kidd the other day." Kashi didn't break eye contact, instead dug her nose into her sweatshirt in an attempt to hide the blush creeping on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Maka smirked. "That's okay… because I saw him stealing the same glances at you, too." Kashi poked her nose back out of her hoodie, a serious expression on her face. It wasn't until after she impulsively responded that she realized she had only fallen into her geeky friend's trap. "Wait, what? Really?" She mentally face-palmed herself, and dug her nose back into her sweatshirt to hide her frown, although her eyes screamed "you idiot."

Maka smiled, and clapped her hands together. "I'm serious! I really think you two have a shot at together." Kashi shook her head, pulling out of her sweatshirt with a sad blush on her face. "That's ridiculous. I just got here two weeks ago, and I don't even belong here. I'm an ugly, socially-awkward, anxious potato. Who could ever fall for a potato?"

Maka chuckled. "Potatoes are amazing, what are you talking about?" She glanced at Kashi who was thoroughly done with the subject. "I've known Kidd for quite a few years, and I can confidently say he's never gone out of his way for someone like he has for you. And the way he looked at you when he thought nobody was looking was extremely close to the look he gives his house after a symmetry check."

Kashi ran her fingers through her hair. "I just have a difficult time believing he could even slightly like me as anything but a friend. Back home, it was the same way. I was 'the friend' and nobody was ever interested in me romantically. Besides, the few people who might have been said I was 'too hard to deal with' once they got to know the real me and found someone else." Maka shrugged. Kashi re-positioned the grip on her suitcase. "I've given up on the idea that I could ever be happy 'with' someone." She paused, debating if she should say what she was thinking. After a minute or so, she sighed. "How can someone learn to love me if I can't even love myself?"

Maka nodded, the corner of her mouth turned upward into a half-smile. "Sometimes it takes people believing in us before we can believe in ourselves. I don't see why love would be any different." Kashi opened her mouth to make an observational comment about her relations with Soul, but the blonde had looked down at her wrist watch and knocked on a large door before the baffled guild member could gather her thoughts into words. Maka knocked eight times, and then started walking away. "You have fun!"

Kashi turned around, back to the door, and scoffed. "Wait, you're not going to even wait to see if he answers the door?!" Maka shot back a smile, and waved. "I'll check on you later!"

Kashi placed her hands on her hips, and leaned on one leg. "You can't just leave me here!" About a thousand thoughts raced through Kashi's anxious mind. What if Kidd answers the door? What do I say? What if it's Liz or Patty? What if nobody's home and I'm forced to sit outside in this god-forsaken cold for half the day? Could I remember the way back to Soul and Maka's place? Probably not… what if I got lost? Why did I even get out of bed today?

A mere few seconds later she heard one of the large doors open, and when she turned around, tucking a red strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes met those of Death the Kidd's. She quickly broke the brief eye contact to look around at everything but him, and tightly grasped onto the handle of her suitcase. "Uh, Hi. It's me."

Kidd smiled, even though Kashi only saw it through the sides of her vision. "Right on time. Thanks for coming at 8… I know Maka said you prefer to sleep in, but ten is just such an asymmetrical number, you know?" Kashi smiled, biting her lip to try and calm her nerves: new place, new acquaintance (of opposite gender), and new location was all very hard to take in at once for someone who didn't even like changing into a different color sweatshirt. Kidd gestured for her to enter, and she did. Looking around, the place was huge, and she needed a minute alone to take it all in. "Could I have a drink please?"

Kidd nodded, and jogged into the kitchen. While he was in there, Kashi yelled from her spot in the entry hall. "Should I take off my shoes?"

Kidd yelled back, opening the fridge from somewhere in the kitchen that Kashi couldn't see. "Sure. There are mats on either side of the door… ideally the left should go on the left, and the right should go on the right, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

Kashi shyly nodded even though he couldn't see it; a small blush creeping onto her cheeks as she took the extra time to make it perfectly symmetrical for him. When Kidd came back out he was surprised that she had respected his OCD wishes. He forced back an ecstatic smile, and handed her the water bottle. "Here you go." Kashi nodded, smiling. "Thank you. Your place is amazing, by the way. I don't even think our guild hall was this big."

Kidd stood next to her and nodded. "Thank you. It was my fathers, but he can't leave the school anymore, so it's a big empty space all to myself now."

Kidd started walking around and Kashi followed behind fairly closely. Kidd pointed out the rooms as they went. First the kitchen to his left, then the symmetrical hallway with the symmetrical bedrooms. Then the second hallway with the second set of bedrooms. "Basically all these rooms down on the main floor are for Liz and Patty. They have stuff in all the closets down here. It's the only way I could keep them from trashing their rooms and destroying the symmetry." Kashi chuckled at his symmetry comments, and completely missed the blush and embarrassed look Kidd would get afterwards. Then the tour wandered upstairs, and Kidd pointed out the upstairs master bedroom, guest bedroom #10 (it seemed)… and the room adjacent to Kidd's that Kashi would be staying in. They walked in, and Kashi threw her suitcase on the bed. Kidd sighed, proud with his tour, and his house. "You have your own bathroom over there, a walk-in closet, and my room's right across the hall if you ever need anything."

Kashi blushed at the thought of sleeping so closely with a human of the opposite sex, but was grateful for the thought behind the gesture. "Thank you. You really didn't have to; I wouldn't have minded sharing a room with Liz or Patty." Kidd chuckled. "They're worse than you think they are. Trust me; I'm saving you a lot of hassle by putting you up here."

Kashi laughed for what felt like the first time since she got the Death City. "Maka said they're a handful." Kashi folded her hands together in front of herself and faced Kidd. "Thanks again… so much. Soul and Maka's place was a little too small to include me. I promise I won't bother you."

Kidd nodded, smiling on his way to his own room to quadruple check his toilet paper triangles. "On the contrary… bother me as much as you like. It's nice to have someone new around here for a change."

Kashi sat down on her bed and listened to Kidd's footsteps disappear into his room. She sighed, and looked around. "So this is going to be home for a while, huh?" She crawled into the middle of the bed and curled herself around one of the ginormous pillows that was laying at the head of the bed. "Too much to take in for one day. It's naptime."

Kidd returned to check on Kashi after eight minutes, expecting her to be putting her clothes away and making herself more at home. As he went to knock on the open door, he stopped, seeing her lightly snoring on the bed, hugging a pillow. He shook his head and quietly closed the door. "Her battery doesn't last very long, does it?" He chuckled at himself, shut his bedroom door to finish the symmetry, and went downstairs to plan lunch.


	11. 10: Sooner or Later

**Chapter 10**

 **"Sooner or Later"**

 **Song: Battle Scars, Paradise Fears "No you're not alone, keep marching on… this is worth fighting for!"**

Naomi's red hair shone under the sunlight as she followed the directions she had written on a piece of paper. Earlier, when she was at the morning farmers market with Ciel, she had run into Maka who told her where Kashi was staying. Apparently she had moved in just the week prior, and it would be a good time to check in on her. Ciel had forbid her to visit the uncannily familiar girl, but her red bangs and green eyes just wouldn't leave her mind. She KNEW that she knew Kashi, but couldn't place it. And she needed to know more.

 _Besides_ , she thought to herself. _What's the worst that will happen? Ciel might yell at me?_

Naomi's blue eyes darted as she followed her crude map, taking turns and hoping she can reverse the map to get back to the apartment later. She turned down the final road. Her eyes looked up to meet a large mansion at the end of the street. Most definitely Kidd's place. It was even symmetrical, just like the academy she had been too when she first met Kashi.

Walking up to the door she firmly planted her feet on the doorstep and knocked three times. She heard someone yell angrily from the other side, and some mumbles answered the yells just before a lady with dark blonde hair opened the door. "Hey. Who are you?" Naomi smiled politely. "I'm Naomi. I was hoping to see Kashi?" The girl nodded, and extended a hand, which Naomi took in a firm shake. "Nice to meet you. I'm Liz. Sorry about the yelling; Kidd hates it when people don't knock eight times. Kashi's hanging out in her room, I'll go get her for you. Please, come in!"

Naomi moved her gaze around the monochromatic decorations in the room. She wasn't impressed; but then again things can look boring if it's too symmetrical. But she made a mental note not to tell Kidd that… Liz made her way up the stairs and disappeared, and Kidd emerged from the kitchen with an apologetic smile. "Hello. Nice to see you again."

Naomi smiled, and looked at the clock. "Did you guys just get done having lunch then?" Kidd nodded. "Yep. Kashi got here this morning, immediately took a nap, then woke up just in time for lunch and just went up to start organizing her room." Naomi chuckled. "A nap? There isn't even enough time for a nap between 8am and 1pm." Kidd sighed. "I don't blame her though. These guys are hard to get used to." A girl a tad younger than Liz ran down the stairs and glomped Naomi in a huge hug. She stumbled back in surprise as the young blonde started talking up a storm. "Hello! It's nice to meet you! You're Kashi's friend, right? I'm Patty! You should stay over sometime, I really like to draw. You know you remind me…"

Kidd grabbed Patty's shoulders and peeled her off their guest. "Why don't you go draw some more? I know you never finished that giraffe you were working on." Patty screamed in excitement and ran back up the stairs. Naomi could only blink, and Kidd chuckled. "What'd I tell you?"

Naomi took a deep breath; her personal space having been violated. She didn't get a chance to respond before Liz came walking down the stairs followed by Kashi. The red and white haired girl's bright green eyes were wide with excitement. "Hey, you came back!" Naomi shifted, nodding her head, her red curls bouncing. "I was hoping you could tell me more about myself... maybe I could remember." Kashi looked to Kidd who was closely observing a painting on the other side of the room for symmetry. "Is it okay if she stays for a while, Kidd?"

He looked up for a brief moment before turning back to the painting. "Just don't ruin the symmetry!" Kashi held back a groan and signaled for Naomi to follow her. They went up the stairs and shut themselves in what Naomi could only assume was Kashi's room. She didn't have much; just a suitcase half-full of clothes, the other half in her closet and drawers, and a sketchbook and pencil given to her as a gift from Patty. Kashi pulled her hair out of her makeshift ponytail and sat on the bed, and Naomi followed her lead. She grabbed a pillow, and crossed her legs, and looked at the blue-eyed redhead with a smile on her face. Naomi glanced around, unsure of what to do or say. "So… you say that I knew you once?"

Kashi nodded, also unsure of where to start when her dear friend still had no memory of her time in Fairy Tail. Kashi shrugged. "Where would you like me to start?"

Naomi felt chills run down her arms and spine. She felt so close to remembering something, but it didn't come. "At the beginning." Kashi sighed, and looked down at the pillow. "Oh gosh… at the beginning okay… we were ten, I think. Somewhere around there, when I joined this group of mages called a guild."

Naomi stopped her, already confused. "I'm so sorry, but what's a mage and what's a guild?"

Kashi's head dropped, realizing everything so simple she didn't even think twice about was suddenly a new concept for her friend. She took a deep breath, and started explaining. She started with "The world we came from has magic… where people and animals have power within their bodies that allow them to be able to wield elements as weapons… like this one guy can make fire appear around his fist and breathe it out of his mouth without ever touching a torch."

Naomi's eyes lit up as Kashi started describing this world they came from. Hours passed, talking about dragons, talking cats, immortal beings and different kinds of magic, and before Kashi could even get started talking about how they met or the people they knew, someone had knocked on the bedroom door and creaked open the door. It was Kidd. "Sorry to interrupt, but supper is ready. You're more than welcome to eat with us, Naomi."

It was at this point Naomi's stomach rumbled. "I didn't even realize how hungry I was. I'd love to, thank you!"

Kashi found it hard to stop the conversation they were holding, and all the way down the stairs and even partway into the meal, she continued to talk. Nobody minded, especially Kidd. It was the first time he had heard anything about the world they had come from as well. Kashi had a hard time eating and talking at the same time.

She had just about finished explaining the different kinds of magic you would see most often, when Kidd, who was totally engrossed in the explanations, had to ask. "Are you the only one with explosive fire magic?" She nodded. "I should be, anyway." Naomi's mind shot back to when she accidentally killed the house plants in Ciel's mansion, and kept her calm as she asked the question plaguing her mind. "What kind of magic did I have?" Kashi hesitated. "Well, it's complicated. And it's dangerous to know if you can't control it, so maybe I shouldn't tell…" Naomi nodded and waved her hands. "Oh that's okay! You know more than I do! All in due time, right?"

Kashi could tell Naomi was a little hurt, but she honestly didn't know if it would be okay to tell her friend of her massive powers. Ultimately, she decided it was time to get to the part where they met. "Alright, so for real storytime…" Liz and Patty, who had been previously unamused and uninterested in the conversation, perked up and turned their attention to their new friend. Kidd's eyes lit up in excitement and Naomi put her silverware down, and made herself comfortable in her chair. Kashi took a long drink, and after making eye contact with each one of them, smirked.

"That will have to wait for another day."

Everyone groaned and watched sadly as Kashi stood up to put her empty plate in the sink and start washing dishes. Naomi slapped her hand against her thigh. "That's not fair!" Kashi shrugged. "I need to decide which stories to tell." Then she pointed to the clock. "And it's probably time for you to get going." Naomi's head snapped to the time, and was horrified to see she had been gone almost eight hours. "I guess I should."

She helped move the dishes from the dining room into the kitchen, at which point Kidd and Kashi saw her to the door as Liz and Patty took over washing for the night. Kidd opened the door for the redhead, and her dark blue eyes were met with darkening skies. "Let's hope I'm not in too much trouble." Kashi nodded, while battling herself while deciding whether or not to give her friend a hug. She knew her, but she didn't, and she didn't even like hugs in the first place. But, what if she never saw her again?

Naomi could see Kashi struggling in her own head, so she turned her attention to Kidd. "Thank you very much for letting me stay so long. I hope I can come again soon. Maybe I can bring something for dinner?" Kidd nodded slightly. "Sounds like a plan."

Kashi sighed, and extended a hand to her memory-less friend. Naomi took the pale hand, and shook it. "Thank you for coming… it was fun." Naomi nodded, noticing tears start to well up in Kashi's green eyes. Trying to think of something to say, she remembered a dream she had. A voice had stuck out against the rest, and decided it was a good question to ask; a good place to leave off to keep her coming back for more information. "I had someone…close to me, appear in a dream. I couldn't see her, but I remember her voice. She sounded tough, it was the funniest thing…" Kashi raised an eyebrow, but Naomi continued anyway. "She told me, when I came back, that she would share all her strawberry cakes with me?" Kashi's eyes went wide, and she choked back a sob with a smile. "That would be Erza. You know her very well." Naomi smiled. "How close were we?"

Kashi sighed with a content smile. "Like sisters."

Naomi's smile widened, and she clapped her hands together. "There were more voices! Could you tell me who they were? If you can tell me, maybe I'll remember!" Kashi nodded, placing a hand to her head. "Of course, I'll try my best. But not tonight. You already have a lot to process, and I myself am exhausted. Maybe you'll remember something tonight after all this. Either way, come back soon!"

Naomi gave Kashi a quick hug, which caused her to tense and freeze up, but Naomi didn't notice. Kidd did, however, and made a mental note not to touch Kashi without forewarning. She let go as soon as she had grabbed her, and waved goodbye as she ran down the street, pulling out her crude map to follow along the way, disappearing behind some buildings, becoming a shadow in the night.

Hopefully she could sneak back into her apartment without being attacked by Ciel, or worse…

Sebastian.


	12. 11: A Newfound Attraction

**Chapter 11**

 **"A Newfound Attraction"**

 **Song: Miracle, Vertical Horizon "Would it be so wrong to find someone… is there a trace inside a face of a lonely miracle?"**

Kashi sighed, totally exhausted, as Kidd shut the door behind her. Kashi just stared at the door, unbelieving that the only person she had left, was technically gone.

Suddenly a voice broke her out of her daze and she looked to her right to see Kidd standing there, ready to touch her with a concerned hand. "Are you okay?"

Kashi nodded. "Yeah. Just a lot for one day."

Kidd smiled, wider than he ever smiled towards Soul, Maka, or even Liz and Patty. He let his hand fall back down to his side, knowing Kashi wouldn't like to be touched anyway. "Yeah. You deserve some rest. But may I ask one question?"

She took a second to clear her mind of her floating thoughts and nodded. "Shoot."

Kidd placed a hand on his chin in thought. "How did you get to know each other?"

Kashi chuckled. "That was the story I was going to leave for later. But I suppose I can tell you." She walked over to the couch and plopped herself down on one side of it, and Kidd joined her, with a respectful distance between them. "I had just joined the guild, and she was the loudest one there. So of course, I hated her." Kidd blinked, and adjusted his position on the couch to face Kashi more. "What? You hated her?"

She nodded, her red bangs covering her face for a moment, before she pushed them out of the way. She brought a knee up and wrapped her arms around it. "Yeah. I… used to live in a forest, by myself, so I was used to 'quiet'. The boys would fight, and that was amusing, but then she would come in and stop them with her loud voice, and I just didn't like her." She paused to see Kidd was listening to her with enthusiasm. "One day she came up asking who I was, because up until that point I had stayed pretty much invisible. I told her I wasn't staying, so she didn't need to know me. Her exact words were: "This guild is a family. If you don't intend to stay, you shouldn't have come here at all." Those words hit a nerve in me."

Kidd looked confused, his golden eyes glittering with curiosity. "So what did you do?" Kashi smiled. "I realized that I'd never had a family before, and I spent the entire night thinking about it. The next day I watched everyone in the guild and came to the conclusion that, if this is what a family is like, then I want to be a part of it." Kidd's smile widened at the words, and Kashi avoided his gaze. She felt that if she looked into his eyes while confessing something so personal that it would enable him to read her whole mind. She took a deep breath and continued. "So from then on I started attempting to talk to people, starting with her. I was blunt, and asked her to help me meet everyone properly. It was really hard, but Naomi made it easier. She would always step in and save me from personal questions, and would sometimes start conversations for me and then leave so I could finish them. I came to really like her."

Kidd was pondering what to say when Kashi broke out in a giggle. She met his gaze with hers and she smiled. "And this one guy, the infamous Gildarts. He's like 8 foot tall, ginger hair and always had a stubbly beard. He's a super outgoing guy, and super intimidating. He never came around much; he was always out on missions. Anyway, the first time he came back to the guild, I had met pretty much everyone except him, so Naomi drug me over to say hi. I was so terrified he laughed at me. I remember, he said "someone that shy should be super tough. Let's go train together later!" I tried to get out of it, but Naomi forced me to go. I was still small, so he towered over me, but I gave up a good fight, and he took off a few months to help train me. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is. He never stayed at the guild for more than a week, and Natsu, one of the other members, had begged him for a fight for YEARS."

Kidd ran a hand though his hair, awe-struck that the shy-girl he met earlier was just spewing out her past like she'd known him forever. "It sounds like he was a father-figure to you."

Kashi's green eyes lost a bit of their luster, and looked sad. He held back a curse as he realized he'd hit a nerve. She wasn't going to be sharing anymore tonight. She nodded, breaking their eye contact. "Yeah. He was." They sat in silence, and the tick of a nearby clock was all they heard. Liz and Patty's shuffles had stopped, meaning they must be in bed already. Kashi sighed, and Kidd got up off the couch. Kashi watched him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He defaulted to his usual perfect posture and calm, mature demeanor. "I'm heading to bed. Thank you, for talking with me. I'll see you tomorrow?" Kashi nodded, showing no signs of following. He listened to the horrible sound of his footfalls disturb the silence as he headed up the stairs. He stopped halfway up, and turned back to Kashi. "You remember how to get to your room, right?" She jumped, already deep in thought. She looked up to him and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright. Remember, my room's right across from yours if you need anything." She smiled, and looked back down at the floor.

He made his way to his room, and stopped in the hallway between the two rooms. He gazed his golden eyes into her room, and saw a sketchbook laying open on the bed. Probably got it from Patty. He listened, and when he was sure Kashi wasn't coming up the stairs, he snuck into her room and looked at the sketchbook. There was a sketch of a guy with spiky hair, pointy teeth and a weird looking cat with wings on the open page. He carefully picked up the book, and gingerly flipped the page. There was a drawing of Soul and Maka holding hands. He smiled at the depiction of his friends. He flipped to the next page, and saw a beautiful horse drawing, and various other animals, nothing worth noting. Beautiful and talented drawings, just not important. Just things she likes, he guessed to himself. He wasn't sure why he felt disappointed; like he was hoping to learn more about her by her drawings, and all he'd deduced was that she liked animals.

When he flipped to the next page though, his heart skipped a beat and he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a portrait of… him?! He tried to swallow the knot of confusion in his throat, but it stayed there. He felt like he had discovered a deep secret that nobody was supposed to know about, and his face flushed as he flipped the sketchbook back to the page that was originally up, and set it back down where he had found it. Breath escaped him as he silently slipped into his own room, and shut the door behind him. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and put a hand to his forehead. He didn't know why he would be one of the only four people in her sketchbook. And it was the most nicely done drawing, too. She obviously spent a lot of time and effort on it. He shook his head. "Don't be crazy. There doesn't have to be a reason." He took a shower and got changed, and slipped into bed. But sleep escaped him, and he heard Kashi when she finally came up to her room an hour later.

He thought about Kashi.

When she heard Kidd stop moving around in his room, she decided it was safe to go up to her own room and take a shower. She just had one the night before, but didn't know how often she would be alone enough to be comfortable showering again, so she just took one. The life of a person with social anxiety… she thought to herself. She blushed, thinking back to a little while ago. She never, ever told anyone about her past, especially without being prompted to. And certainly not to such detail. She felt comfortable around him, and couldn't figure out why. That bothered her.

She slipped into her pajamas and flopped onto the bed. Turning on one of the bed-side lamps, she flipped her sketchbook to the drawing of Kidd. Her cheeks flushed an even darker shade, and she rubbed them to try and calm herself down. "Why did I even draw this?" She shook her head, and ripped out the page. "I can't have anyone finding this…" She looked around the room, and decided her underwear drawer was the best spot for it. If anyone opened it and saw her undergarments, surely, they would close it right back up without question. Nobody wants to dig through someone's undies. She placed the picture face-down in the bottom of the drawer. She didn't have more than a dozen pair, and only two bras, but it was enough to cover it up. She closed the drawer and sighed. "I don't know what I'd do if Kidd ever saw that."

She crawled into bed for real this time, but she didn't get much sleep. She tried to understand why she felt so differently about Kidd than she had towards any other human being. Literally, the only other thing she had openly talked to like that was a squirrel. Her brows furrowed as she clutched tightly to one of the many pillows on the bed, and stared at the wall facing Kidd's room. She secretly hoped he would need something and would keep her company, but that didn't happen. It was only when the sun started lighting the sky that she was able to turn off her brain long enough to get a few hours' sleep, completely oblivious to the fact that Kidd had that exact same thought, and hadn't gotten any sleep, either.

And suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door.


	13. 12: A Newfound Hatred

**Chapter 12**

 **"A Newfound Hatred"**

 **Song: Carousel, AHS Freak Show Soundtrack "Chasing after you is like a fairy tale, but I feel like I'm glued on tight to this carousel"**

Naomi let out a huge sigh of relief when she found the "apartment" house Ciel had rented for the time they were staying in Death City. All the lights in the house were off, so she hoped that he was already in bed, and Sebastian hadn't found her missing. She tied back her red hair with a hair tie she had on her wrist, and moved around to the back of the building. She had left her bedroom window unlocked so she could pry it open from outside, and luckily nobody had noticed it. She quietly creaked open the window and crawled in, landing softly on the carpet. She quickly brushed her clothes back into a natural position and tip-toed to her suitcase, and picked out her pajamas. She was just about to change when the light in her room popped on, and made her jump.

Turning around to face the door she saw a very angry Ciel backed by a smirking butler named Sebastian. She bit the inside of her lip as she placed the pajamas down on her bed, and she folded her arms. Ciel's blue eye seemed to blaze. "What were you doing?"

Naomi glared at him. "It doesn't matter, I came back."

Ciel took a few steps towards her, so that he was a foot away from her. "I said, what were you doing?"

Naomi huffed. "None of your business."

Ciel yelled, a pointed finger shoved into her face. "You are MY business. You are MINE. You belong to ME and should act as such. You are not a wild cat to go roaming as you please. You are a dog, on a chain, and you do as I command you to do!" He raised his hand, and Naomi's eyes went wide as his palm came down hard on her left cheek. It stung like a million bees. Her eyes teared up and her head screamed for her to hit him back, but with Sebastian grinning down on her, she couldn't.

"I told you not to go searching for your past, but I don't care anymore. Do what you want. However, when the time comes for us to go back to my mansion, you will be confined to your quarters for the rest of your life. So enjoy the time you have, Miss Naomi."

Tears streamed down her face as she packed her suitcase back up, zipped it shut, and threw it out the window. She calmly slipped herself back out the way she came, and glared at Ciel. "I really hope you didn't mean that. I was hoping we could be equals. Otherwise you'll never be seeing me again."

Ciel glared as the girl grabbed her suitcase and vanished out of sight. Sebastian smiled behind him. "What are you going to do next, sir?" He turned around and retreated back to his own quarters, and slipped himself back into bed. Sebastian just stood in the doorway of Naomi's room, and couldn't stop smiling.

"It seems the master may get rid of her all on his own. At least I won't have to get my hands dirty."

Meanwhile, Naomi ran blindly through the streets. It was 10pm, and she couldn't go back to Kashi's yet. Well, Kidd's, technically. She wiped away the tears and saw a community center building, almost like a shed, open in a park. She trailed her sadness there, and sat down on one of the picnic benches that were located under the roof. A cool breeze blew and chilled her, but she didn't care. She stared at that eastern horizon, and cried. Waiting for the sun to come up before going back to see Kashi. The place was huge, and he had offered her to stay overnight.

"Maybe he will let me live there for a few days, too."

She knocked on the door. She took a deep breath, happy to have made it to her destination. It took her the better part of two hours, but she made it. The sun had just peeked over the nearby buildings. It was probably around eight in the morning. Her hair was greasier than she would like it to be, but she spent the night in a park, so nobody can really blame her. She knocked again, and before she could finish the door opened a smidge, and a tired Liz sighed. "You again? Naomi, right? Come on in, I'll see if I can't drag Kashi out of bed."

She nodded in thanks, and entered the big building once more. Liz didn't question why she had a bag, and she was greatful. It would be hard enough to tell the story to Kashi, who didn't like Ciel in the first place. This would just give her a reason to hate him even more. Even though I want to hate him, and what he said and did is unnecessary, I see a kind man inside of him.

Kashi came slogging down the stairs, but when she opened her eyes and saw the suitcase, she slid down the railing and ran to the red-head. Tears started pouring out of Naomi's eyes without warning, and she tackled Kashi in a hug. Her friend tensed, but Naomi didn't care. Kashi pat her on the back, and after a minute she pulled her friend away from her to look her in her crying blue eyes. "What happened?"

Naomi gasped from the lump in her throat. "He hit me. The bastard hit me." She choked out in a sob, and could barely see Kashi's face turn red with anger. Kashi bit her cheek and pulled on Naomi's arm, which she followed with her suitcase in hand. The two stopped by the end of the stairs and Kashi let go of her friend's arm. "You stay here. I'm going to ask Kidd if you can stay for a while, okay?" Naomi could only nod, and Kashi ran back up the stairs. She stood, trembling. First I lose my memory, then I find out I kill plants, and now I'm being abused for trying to make a friend? Why is this happening to me…

She heard a feminine voice that didn't belong to her call out from the back of her mind. "Stay strong…" it said. It was the same voice from her dreams before. She shook her head, and Kidd came down the stairs with Kashi following close behind, and he gave an empathetic smile. "You can stay for as long as you'd like. I'll put you next to Liz and Patty's rooms, so you can ask them if you need anything. I'm sure Kashi will show you around."

Naomi nodded and squeaked out a pathetic "thanks" before Kidd led them to her new room on the ground floor. Naomi sighed. "Thank you, very much. I think… I think I'm going to get some sleep." Kashi nodded, and Kidd stayed back, just watching to make sure she was okay. Naomi was about to shut the door behind her, when Kashi stopped her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Naomi nodded, wiping tears off her face. "Yeah. I will be." Kashi was hesitant to let her friend be alone at a time like this, but her eyes were red from crying and lack of sleep, and Kidd tapped Kashi's shoulder and tilted his head in the direction of the living room. That was her queue to leave. Kashi let Naomi go, and she followed Kidd back into the living room.

Kashi was fuming with anger. "I swear I'm going to kill him. I knew I hated him."

Kidd guestured with his hands for Kashi to calm down. "We can't do anything about what happened. All we can do is offer her a place to stay until she figures out what she's going to do about it."

Kashi nodded in silence, and watched as Kidd disappeared into the kitchen to make breakfast, but she wasn't happy about it. She felt a pit of despair brewing in her stomach. She knew this guy wasn't good. And that's not just it, either. If Naomi could only remember Natsu, then she would feel the need owe her life to Ciel, because she would remember that she had already fallen for Natsu.

She rubbed her temples. "I need to make her remember…"


	14. 13: Breaking the Laws of Time and Space

**Chapter 13**

 **"Breaking the Laws of Time and Space"**

 **Song: Far Away, Nickelback "Been far away for far too long."**

Naomi tossed and turned in her sleep. Behind her eyelids, she was floating, right above the tops of trees. She looked around. The location looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Was it a memory from her past?

A boy with pink spiky hair was running down the street, calling her name. "NAOMI!" She held her breath. Why is he looking for me? Do I know him? She tried calling back out to him, but he couldn't hear her. She flew herself down to where he now stood, leaning up against a tree to catch his breath. She stood next to him and reached out a hand to try and touch him. "Damnit, I've searched everywhere for her…"

She pulled back from trying to touch him when his eyes filled with tears, and they dripped to the grass beneath him. "Where the hell is she…"

Naomi bit her cheek. "Hey, I'm right here!" She waved a hand in front of his face, but he couldn't see her. "I guess I'm dreaming…" In her subconscious she heard Sebastian calling for her. The dream world started disappearing just as Natsu's eyes went wide and he seemed to look straight at her. Her heart stopped. "Naomi?"

She sat up in bed with a start. He SAW her. He had to have! She rubbed her face with her hands as Sebastian poured her a cup of tea. He started describing her schedule for the day, but she couldn't listen. All she could think about was that man's face… and those eyes… she KNEW those eyes… What was his name, again?

Back in Magnolia at that very instant, Natsu looked around frantically. "I swear I smelled her just now…" He pushed himself off the tree he was resting on. He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face. He took a deep breath and set off again. He had been searching for her for so long, he was sure he was going crazy, and that the whiff he just caught had to be his imagination. But that didn't stop him. He wouldn't stop.

"I won't give up on you. I promise."


	15. 14: Magic is Real

**Chapter 14**

 **"** **Magic is Real"**

 **Song: Try, P!nk "Where there is desire there is going to be a flame…you've gotta get up and try."**

Naomi rolled over and blinked the rays out of her eyes that filtered in through the windows. She groaned, and peeled herself off the sheets. Fixing her ponytail, she dared to wander out of her new room without looking in a mirror. She saw a clock on the wall, and it said two. "Holy crap." One of the doors along her path to the living room was open, and she peeked inside from the hallway. Liz was sitting on her bed, painting her toenails. She looked up, and smiled. "Hey beauty queen. You're up." Naomi nodded with a yawn. "Do you know where I can find Kashi?"

Liz went back to painting her nails. "Oh yeah. She should be upstairs. Kidd's out at the school right now for something, so she should be alone." Naomi nodded her head slowly, unsure why the location of Kidd would matter as to where Kashi would be, but made her way upstairs with a thank-you anyway. Naomi's blue eyes scanned the walls as she went. The decoration of a home can tell you a lot about a person. Most everything was monochromatic or red, probably because it looked good, she figured. And nothing was without it's copy across the wall. Symmetry freak, she concluded. After climbing the stairs, she peeked into the first door on the left, and it was dark. That must be Kidd's room. She heard a voice call from the room opposite. "Hey! You're up!"

Looking to the right, Kashi sat on her own bed. She waved, and Naomi was beckoned to sit down on the bed. Kashi was holding a sketchbook, and was now flipping the pages, searching for a specific one. She smiled when she hit the right page, and showed it to Naomi. Her blue eyes widened when she saw the sketch. It was of a boy with spikey hair, and familiar eyes. His fist was on fire, and he had a flying cat next to him. Naomi gasped. "This… I know him! I dreamt about him last night!"

Kashi's green eyes sparkled with hope. "That's Natsu, the man, and Happy, his exceed, er, cat." Naomi glanced up from the page to Kashi, and back again. "How did I know him?" Kashi sighed, hoping she would remember more than that. "He was basically…basically your boyfriend back home. Where we came from." Naomi blushed, and stared at the paper. Kashi picked through her barrage of thoughts, and straightened the blanket beside her. Naomi set down the sketchbook and caught Kashi's eye and kept it. "What's wrong with me?"

Kashi blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. "What do you mean?" Naomi's eyes threatened to spill with more tears, but she kept her composure. "I mean, what is wrong with me? It can't be a coincidence that every plant I touch wilts away, I get ported off to a different planet, lose all my memories, and get abused by a rich man with great power." Kashi shook her head. "He doesn't have great power; you're letting him have great power by letting his words and actions put you down. You're stronger than this, Naomi."

Naomi clenched her fists. "No I'm not! If I'm as dangerous as Sebastian says I am, I deserve to be abused." Kashi held back the urge to slap her friend across the face. If this Ciel asshole hadn't just done that, she would have. "No. Naomi, listen to me. You have a great power. The power of life and death itself. And you can't let your emotions get the better of you or you will hurt yourself and a lot of other people. That's what I didn't tell you yesterday."

Naomi blinked away more tears. "Nice try… but I think I'm just going crazy." She sniffed, her nose runny from being near tears. "Like anyone can have 'powers' like that." Kashi held her hand up and set her hand on fire, similarly to the 'Natsu' in the sketch. "It does exist. And you need to get in control of yours before something really bad happens." Naomi's eyes widened, and she screamed. Backing away from Kashi, she fell off the end of the bed, and stayed there. "I'm dreaming. This is all a crazy dream, just like the plants."

Kashi peeked over the edge of the bed and humphed. "No you're not dreaming! This is real!" Liz and Patty ran into the doorway with panicked faces. "What happened?" They saw Kashi's hand, and then Naomi, who was pressed tightly up against a wall with a terrified expression. "Magic isn't real. This is just a dream."

Kashi put out her hand and grabbed one of the plants off one nightstand, and shoved it in Naomi's face. "Touch it!" Naomi shook her head. "It doesn't matter, I'm dreaming!" Kashi screamed. "TOUCH IT!" Naomi shakily stretched out one hand, and barely touched the plant, and it immediately turned black, and fell as ash. Naomi closed her eyes. "I'm just dreaming. I don't REALLY kill plants. Kashi can't summon fire. It's not real." She opened her eyes to the sound of Liz's voice. "Naomi, just admit it, you're special. Like us!" Patty turned into a pistol and Liz caught her, twirling her in the air. Naomi's eyes rolled back as she passed out, and Kashi and Liz sighed in unison. Patty laughed, and the sound attracted Kidd, who had just come home. His eyes passed over Naomi and immediately saw the plant.

He held his head. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PLANT?!" His eyes moved to the sidetables, and saw the symmetry was ruined. "I TRUSTED YOU!" Kashi would have cried at the outburst, but she was focused on her passed-out friend. "Kidd, it's just a plant, I'll fix the symmetry, I promise." Kidd shocked everybody when he took a series of deep breaths and actually listened to Kashi. Liz and Patty always had to resort to force to get him to calm down, and she did it with words alone.

Tears streaked his cheeks as he tried to ignore the plant. He finally looked with worry at Naomi. "So… so what happened to resort to ruining the symmetry?" Kashi explained Naomi's powers to Kidd, and he nodded, wiping the un-manly tears off his cheeks.

"I understand. You're right… it is just a stupid plant. I'm sorry I yelled." Liz and Patty stared at Kidd, and Kashi didn't even look up to notice. Kashi simply nodded, and Kidd glared at his two dirty-blonde weapons. "Shut up."

They were all gathered still when Naomi came back to her senses. Kashi was sitting next to her, and still held the dead plant. Naomi sighed. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" Everyone shook their heads, and Naomi felt her face get hot. "But, that's irrational. It doesn't make sense." Kashi looked up at her new friends and smiled. "I've got this. A little privacy, please?" Kidd nodded, and shooed the two gun girls out of the room, and shut the door behind them. Kashi pushed her red bangs out of her face, and looked at Naomi with pleading green eyes.

"Naomi… you have to believe me. It's extremely important that you recognize your importance and stay strong. Has Mavis talked to you at all?"

Naomi played with the end of her ponytail. "Yes. She told me not to give in to the darkness…"

Kashi placed a hand on Naomi's shoulder. "You need to listen to her. And I told you too, you can't doubt yourself. Getting yourself depressed and hanging around this guy is bad news. It's not just your powers, either. Insanity is in the air right now, and it's a lot easier to fall into when you doubt yourself. I know, it's dug its sharp claws into me once already, and I killed a lot of people when it happened."

Naomi's blue eyes widened in fear. "Y-you did?!" Kashi nodded. "Please go back to Ciel, and tell him you can't be with him anymore. I don't care what he did to you; you could end up killing him or yourself if you don't get better." Naomi nodded, and took a deep breath. She felt heavy; like there was a block of concrete hanging on her shoulders. "How do I say that to him though?"

Kashi shook her head. "I don't know… just be blunt. Besides, if we get back home or you get your memories back, there's Natsu. And you always have me. You're not alone. Don't pick him."

Naomi nodded, and Kashi stood, helping her back up to her feet. Taking another deep breath, Naomi nodded again, this time for herself.

"Okay. I'll do it."

Naomi stands out front of the building she ran from the night before. She wasn't looking forward to the trip back to Kidd's place. She reached out a tan hand and knocked on the door. Sebastian answered, his red eyes squinted in a glare. "I thought you left, madame." Naomi nodded. "I did. I need to speak to Ciel before I go. May I?" Sebastian stood, red eyes piercing her soul. He reluctantly stepped aside, and allowed Naomi to enter the building. Sebastian led her to the far north room, and inside Ciel was signing letters. He glanced up with his big blue eye, and seemingly frowned more than he already was. "Come in."

Naomi stepped lightly as she came closer to the Earl. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the look on his face when she told him. "I cannot stay with you any longer. It is bad for my health, and as long as you treat me the way you do, I refuse to be your girlfriend, let alone the wife you so desire. I'm sorry. I'll be going…" She turned around and headed for the door blindly, but just as she opened her eyes Ciel grabbed her arm. She swallowed hard and turned around, expecting to be hit again. Her eyebrows scrunched as she noticed he was smiling with sadness. "I wanted to apologize before you left." He let go of her arm, and she stayed. Looking into his eyes, she saw kindness. "I was made Earl at a very young age. I have learned to be uncompassionate in order to stay at the head of my company. I had forgotten that to keep some people close, you must be gentle. I didn't mean what I said, and I feel horrible for hurting you. I would like for you to stay, and I promise I would never lash out at you again."

Naomi's mouth was agape from shock. The last thing she expected him to do was apologize, and he did it so well, too. Her heart felt tight, and she felt herself crumbling in front of him. She broke the gaze and looked down at her feet, and sighed. "I promised Kashi that I would leave, but…" She looked back into the eye that was nearly identical to her own, and she let her shoulders drop. "I suppose I can give you another chance."

Ciel smiled, and offered a handshake. Naomi took it wearily, and Ciel called out to Sebastian who was in the hall. "Go fetch her items from Kidd Death." The handshake turned into a hand-holding session, and Naomi blushed, unused to the touch. "I'm sorry…" Ciel said, releasing her hand. "You're just so beautiful, it's hard knowing that you hate me right now."

Naomi's entire face flushed bright red, and she looked away. "Oh, ah. Thanks, and, I don't hate you. It's just going to be hard to learn how to trust you again." Ciel nodded, and sat back down in his chair. "I understand. How about we go out tomorrow? To learn more about each other?" Naomi nodded. "Okay."

Ciel sighed. "I do apologize, I have a lot of work to do. I'll see you for dinner?" Naomi nodded, biting her cheek she exited the room and went back to her own and sighed. "Kashi won't be happy; but I was shown the kind side of him today I knew was there. I can't leave him. Not yet."

Sebastian knocked on the gigantic mansion doors and Kashi answered, expecting her friend. She glared at the red-eyes butler, and growled. "What are you doing here?" Sebastian grinned slyly. "I was ordered to fetch Naomi's things. She decided to stay." Kashi gasped in shock. "She wouldn't!"

Sebastian showed her a note he had written up himself, but looked deceptively like Naomi's handwriting. It said:

"I'm sorry Kashi, but I need to stay here for a little while longer. I'm giving Ciel a second chance. I know he didn't mean to hurt me. I'll see you around. Thanks for everything.

~Naomi"

Kashi huffed, believing the note. She nodded, and disappeared for a moment to grab Naomi's bag. When she emerged she reluctantly handed over the bag, and folded her arms across her chest. "I'd better see her around sometime soon. Otherwise I'll kill you and your little blue-eyed master before you can see me coming."

Sebastian just smiled his usual, and waved. "Thank you very much, miss."

When he arrived back at the house, he dropped off Naomi's things by her door and entered Ciel's room, happy to see Naomi wasn't in there. He shut the door behind him and frowned at his grown-up master. "Did you mean what you said, young master?"

Ciel chuckled, his blue eye gleaming with evil. "Of course not. She will become your personal toy in the dungeon when we get back home. I'll get what I want; her adoptive family's fortune, and you get what you want…"

Sebastian smiled. "A long-overdue snack and a dead mistress."

Ciel looked up and smiled at his demon butler.

"Exactly."


	16. 15: The Strongest of Fairy Tail

**Chapter 15**

 **"** **The Strongest of Fairy Tail!"**

 **Song: Tear You Apart, AHS Hotel Soundtrack "It's only just a crush, it'll go away…"**

-Five Years Ago, Back in Fairy Tail-

Natsu's jaw dropped as he looked at Naomi with disbelief in his eyes. Her hair was short and straight, down to her jaw. Her nose raised in the air with pride, Natsu could only blink while Gray laughed. "You're a boy?!" Gray exclaimed, chuckling at his guildmate's boyishly short hair. Naomi scoffed, shrugging a shoulder at him. "No, you idiot! I just got a haircut~" Her blue eyes locked with Natsu's onyx orbs and stared him down. "What do you think, Natsu?" She twirled, and Gray rolled his eyes, while Natsu swallowed the fear in his throat. "Your long hair was so pretty though." Naomi growled in her throat. "YOUR long hair was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen and yet YOU got a haircut, so why can't I?"

Natsu looked away, a blush rising on his cheeks. He groaned as Gray elbowed him in the side. "See, you're ugly now too, Natsu. You're perfect for each other!"

Naomi's face got as red as her hair, and she stormed over to Gray's side. He flinched as she raised a fist and pummeled him on the head. She raised her voice. "I wouldn't be caught dead with that twerp! You neither, just for your information!"

Gray begged for mercy while Natsu ran his fingers though his hair. _Naomi thought my long hair was sexy?_ He thought to himself. He smiled, watching Gray get beat to a pulp. He didn't even notice when Gildarts walked into the building. He only noticed when he felt a large hand land atop his head. Looking up, his smile faded. "YOU! Let's fight! I bet I can beat you now!" Natsu yelled, showing the large man his meanest fist. Gildarts laughed. "You come see me when you can beat Naomi or Kashi." Mirajane spoke up from behind the counter. "That's harsh; nobody can beat Naomi."

Natsu's jaw dropped again as Kashi came over to get a hug from her favorite guildmate, and Naomi walked over with a smirk. "Gildarts won't even look in your direction because you can't beat two girls!" Kashi shrugged. "Mirajane is right though. Nobody can beat you."

Natsu's eyebrows scrunched, and he sprung up from his chair. "Naomi, fight me!"

Gildarts chuckled and left the room, heading upstairs to update Makarov on his mission. Naomi placed her hands on her hips and shrugged. "Fine. You should have picked Kashi. I have yet to be defeated." The two went outside, with a few friends for support. It lasted approximately five minutes; that's how long it took for Naomi to beat Natsu. He hadn't even gotten in three flaming dragon fists before Naomi's life magic punches had left him basically immobile. Gray and the others laughed and went back into the guild hall, leaving Naomi there to heal Natsu by herself.

She looked down on Natsu with an apologetic smile. "Sorry…I didn't need to go on you that hard…" Natsu managed to crack a smile, his voice down to a whisper. "Nah… It's okay. I'll never be strong enough to beat you guys, let alone Gildarts." Naomi watched with a heavy heart as she saw a tear escape from one of his eyes, and he lifted an arm to cover his face. He held his smile through the pain, and was glad everyone had gone back inside. Naomi tried to smile for him.

"Hey… don't be like that." Natsu stayed silent. "Where's my Natsu? The one who never gives up hope?"

Natsu swallowed away the lump in his throat. Naomi finished healing her friend and pushed him up onto his feet. He subtly wiped away the tears as he removed his arm from his face, and sighed. "Thanks, Naomi." The redhead smiled, and turned to leave Natsu alone. He reached out an arm and called out. "By the way…" Naomi stopped, turning around. Natsu folded his arms. "I never said I didn't like your new haircut."

Naomi's mouth widened into a great smile. "Really? You like it?"

Natsu shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to care. "Maybe even better than when it was long."

Naomi smirked. "Guess I'll have to let it grow just to spite you~"

Natsu shook his head and followed her back into the guild with a smile. He thought to himself; _jokes on you… you're beautiful to me no matter what your hair looks like._ Gildarts was at the bar and looked back at Natsu with a grin. "Still can't make it ten minutes with one of these girls, can you?" Natsu frowned, but was pulled into a big hug by the ginger haired man. "You'll get 'em someday." Natsu huffed. "I coulda had her, I was being nice and let her win!"

The guild laughed and Naomi blushed, knowing just how big of a lie that was. He looked over to her and saw her smile, and he smiled back. Gildarts let go of the pink haired dragon and ordered a beer from Mirajane. Naomi wrapped an arm around Natsu and smiled. "Don't worry; I'll make sure Gildarts takes some time out of his schedule to beat you, too… it should only take a minute." Even though her words were a stab at his abilities, he couldn't help smiling anyway. Kashi met Naomi's eyes and winked, wiggling her eyebrows. Naomi tried to hold back a blush, and smirked. "Try fighting Kashi next; you might have a chance against her."

Kashi glared, overhearing the comment. Natsu scratched his head, and smiled. "I always have wanted to see what Kashi's got to give." The green-eyed girl excused herself into the back room before Natsu got any funny ideas. Mirajane smirked, noticing Naomi's arm was still around Natsu. "So you two dating yet?"

Naomi let go of Natsu so fast you could hardly see her as her eyes turned to slits and she set her sights on pummeling Mira. Mira just smiled as Naomi tried whacking her, but Mira was the only person who Naomi couldn't really attack, and therefore was also not afraid of her.

But Natsu had a goofy grin on his face, and couldn't help but be tickled that Naomi had touched him. He wasn't afraid of her, either.

He was in love with her.


	17. 16: Awkward is Cute

**Chapter 16**

 **"Awkward is Cute"**

 **Song: All I Want, James Durbin "You took me in with open arms"**

Kidd waited downstairs near the front door of his house for Kashi. She was just finishing getting dressed for an outing with him… not a date, just an outing! He had promised her a proper tour of the city now that she had settled into her new room, and all the hype from the attack had died down. The only part of town she'd really seen was between his house and the school; his father enrolled her in classes to give her something to do during the day. And considering she had lived here for an entire month, it was time to show her around.

Kidd tried to act casual, but Liz noticed a shift in his usual demeanor as he prepared for their "outing". Not only did he seem slightly nervous, but he was wearing one of his nicer suits, which he normally kept for parties. Normal people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Liz knew. She sat on the couch, half watching TV and keeping an eye on the pacing reaper.

"It's been five minutes Kidd, would you calm down."

Kidd jumped, startled by Liz's comment. His golden orbs glared in her direction as he straightened his suit for the umpteenth time. "To calm down I would first need to be worked up, which I am not." Liz scoffed, and Kidd pretended not to notice. Kidd's eyes lit up as Kashi came down the stairs moments later, in a cute red and black corset dress. Her face was almost as red as her dress, but Kidd looked away with his own blush at his watch before he could really notice. Liz held back a chuckle as Kashi glanced at the clock. "I didn't take too long, did I?" Kidd shook his head and flashed a small smile in her direction. "Nope, right on time. Ready to go?" Kashi took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah."

Liz winked at the flustered red and silvery haired girl, and her green eyes flashed with a mix of excitement and fear. Kidd held open the door for her, and taking a deep breath he smiled, "You look very nice." You could practically hear the embarrassment in Kashi's voice when she replied with a quick little "Thank you!"

Liz hopped off the couch as soon as she heard the door shut, and ran to the window to see which direction they were headed. Kashi walked a couple steps behind and to the side of Kidd, and her eyes focused on the ground. "She's so into him." The blonde ran into the kitchen where she dialed Maka.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Kidd's taking Kashi out to see the town; looks more like a date to me… we should totally follow them to see what they do!" Maka chuckled on the other end of the line. "Heck yeah! SOUL, KIDD AND KASHI ARE GOING OUT ON A DATE!" Liz laughed as she heard a crash, and Soul yelling in the background. Maka laughed and came back to Liz. "He says we can't miss this! Where do you want to meet?" Liz decided they were probably headed towards the market first, so they agreed to group up nearby. Liz ran into her sister's room but saw her taking a nap with her favorite giraffe toy, so she threw on her shoes and ran out into the streets without her.

Kashi felt the blush on her face as they walked into the street. The sun was hot today, and she took comfort in the heat; hoping that nobody would be able to tell the difference between her blush and a flush from the heat. The sound of Kidd's voice brought her back from her thoughts. "We're going to head to the market first. That's right by the park, which we will stop by afterwards."

Kashi nodded, and remembered back to when she first moved in. "Isn't the market where Maka took me to buy clothes?"

Kidd shook his head. "Yes and no. She took you to the mall, which is part of the market, but not all of it. I thought you'd like to see all the different shops. You might find something you never knew you wanted." He chuckled at met his golden orbs with her green ones, and she forced a smile through her shyness, and replied to him. "I'm not letting you buy me anything though."

Kidd chuckled and fixed his hair with one of his hands. "Too bad; we'll be out all day, and you'll probably want lunch at some point." Kashi shook her head. During her movements, she noticed that the fabric of Kidd's suit was different from his usual outfit. She felt her heart jump with the opportunity, and she pushed her anxiety aside and decided to say it anyway. "That's a new suit, isn't it?" Her heart stopped as she saw him glance at her with a smile. "You noticed?" She internally sighed; he appreciated it! She wasn't a complete failure at communication, she thought. Nodding, she lightly touched the fabric on his arm. "I could tell the fabric was nicer than your other ones." He seemed to stiffen at the slight touch, and she pulled her pale hand back, blushing at the thought that she. just. TOUCHED. him! No matter, he didn't seem to like that. Although his words were still kind when he replied. "Well thank you. Nobody ever notices when I change suits." What she didn't see was the blush on his face, because he was also flustered that she had touched him.

She kept her eyes on the ground to avoid eye contact, and she followed just behind and beside him all the way to the market, trying to remember where she was and take mental notes of some of the more notable features along the way. Kidd had pointed out a few coffee shops, none of which were to his liking, a library that she made a mental note to visit soon, and one small restaurant that "wasn't too bad" according to a review from Liz that Kidd remembered when she had visited once.

She knew the second they walked into the market, because there were stands with various fruits, vegetables and foods lining both sides of the street. Kashi was intrigued by all the different produce there was, and Kidd tried his best to notice the ones she looked at the longest, and explain what they were. Kidd had noticed with his time with Kashi that she would rarely ask questions, not because she didn't have any, but because she felt she was bothering the person. He figured this out by her constant need to apologize for everything she did, including asking a question. He figured it was working, because the quizzical look on her face slowly turned into a genuine smile from all the new information she was learning. Kashi was appreciating it, even if she didn't know that he was doing it on purpose.

Kashi chuckled. "The only time I've really see this much stuff all in one place is during festivals." Kidd sighed. "Then you should see one of our festivals. If you think this is a lot, imagine every other street filled like this." Kashi shook her head, trying to imagine and feeling overwhelmed with the idea. "It's all amazing. I've never seen most of this stuff. And who would eat something with a name like 'buudah's hand'?" Kidd laughed. "Yeah, I stick to the basics, myself."

Kashi laughed at her own thought, and Kidd looked at her curiously. She gestured to a stand with meats on it and continued to crack up. "I'm a man who don't need no fruits or vegetables!" She saw how confused Kidd was, and shook her head. "It was always a joke back at the guild… nobody ever saw me eat anything but meat and potatoes. And potatoes were even a stretch. And this one man, Elfmann, always called everyone "a man", but I was the only one who got that as an actual nickname." Kidd blinked with curiosity. "But you've eaten everything I've made for you so far?" Kashi nodded. "I like lots of things, don't get me wrong. It was just a funny coincidence. It's not really that funny now that I think about it, but it made me happy. And I liked being able to act manly and be called a fellow man from all my guy friends." Kidd felt jealousy rise within him as he was about to calmly ask Kashi how many guy "friends" she had, but Kashi looked done talking about her past and had turned her smile towards something else.

"Oh heck, you guys have ice cream here too?!"

Kidd's eyes turned towards where Kashi was pointing, and saw an ice cream store. He chuckled at her use of words; he still hadn't heard her swear. She was so innocent like that. She glanced at him guiltily. "I know I said I wouldn't let you buy me anything, but I'd forgive you if you bought me ice cream." Kidd shook his head and chuckled. "Oh, you'd forgive me would you? What flavor?"

Kidd and Kashi sat on a bench at the park eating their ice creams. Chocolate was her favorite, he had learned. Kidd was a classic vanilla type guy. 'Anything chocolate and anything with salt' were her go-to foods. Not very healthy, she knew, but didn't really care. She might have been 5'5, but she had the stomach of a dragon.

The sun was now at its highest point in the sky. The two enjoyed their ice creams, unaware of the pairs of eyes that had been following them all over town. Maka, Liz, and Soul peered out from behind a building, watching their every move. Maka giggled. "Look at them; they're definitely sitting close enough to call it a date!"

Soul looked at her in confusion. "Seriously? How far away you sit from someone determines if you're dating or not?"

Liz scoffed. "Well duh. If they weren't into each other, they would be on their separate ends of the bench. They're both sitting on one half of it. That's boyfriend-girlfriend closeness."

Soul made some space between him and Maka with a blush on his face. "Damn. I never knew that." He glanced from Maka to Kashi, and saw that the red and white haired girl looked tense. "She doesn't look too happy about being that close to him, honestly."

Maka sighed at her weapon. "She's just nervous. You're a man. You're clueless."

Liz nodded. "These two dummies have displayed ten out of fifteen different signs of being in love with each other in the past two hours and Soul didn't catch onto even one."

Maka nodded her head alongside Liz, and they left Soul speechless. They shushed each other and watched as Kidd stood from his seat on the bench, and offered Kashi his hand. Maka had to hold back a scream of excitement as Liz shook her. "That makes eleven!" Even Soul was smiling when Kashi placed her hand in his, after a minute of contemplation of course. Liz smiled and spoke to herself. "Good job, Kidd! You gave her time to realize what you were offering and didn't back out when she took longer than normal to react!"

Maka overheard her comment and wiggled her eyebrows. "You really want them to get together don't you?"

Liz groaned. "You have no idea how awkward it is being in the same house with those two. When both of them are flirting and NEITHER ONE knows that they are flirting, it gets annoying. Like, just make out already." Soul chuckled at that, and they followed closely as Kidd led Kashi towards the opposite direction of the market, towards more of the historical part of town. It didn't escape any of their attentions when it had taken Kashi five minutes of walking to realize she was still holding his hand, and pulled away with a nervous chuckle. What surprised everyone, including Kashi, is when Kidd apologized.

"Sorry…" He chuckled, a red flush creeping onto his cheeks as Kashi pulled her hand out of his. Kashi's own blush deepened as she wanted to reply with her own apology, but when he beat her to it, her instinct told her to say "Oh, no, it's okay." When she said it tough, Kidd pulled a sly little smirk. "So, you didn't mind?"

"I, uh… um, I just…I, I, I suppose-… an-well, m-maybe.. I guess… n-no…" Kashi stammered, and looked away with an embarrassed frown. Kidd took a deep breath and gulped away his fear. Reaching out his hand again, Kashi looked at his extended hand and felt her breath freeze in her throat. "Don't pull away this time?" Averting her gaze, she slipped her hand back into his, pretending it had never happened and keeping her straight face (although red-faced and obviously blushing). She failed to see the ecstatic smile on Kidd's… the trio of stalkers could see the sense of accomplishment on his face, and Kashi's betrayed her joy as they walked together, with a corner of her mouth turned up in a stubborn smile.

Although neither one admitted this feat in their relationship when they got back.


	18. 17: Gut Feelings

**Chapter 17**

 **"** **Gut Feelings"**

 **Song: Owl City, My Everything "You're my light in the dark"**

Eyes closed, Naomi lay in her bed, comforted by the warmth of her bed. She heard her door open and tried to pretend she didn't hear it, when a voice only familiar to her in dreams jolted her out of her sleepy daze. "TIME TO GET UP!" Her eyes bolted open, to see that pink haired boy Natsu again. She scrunched her eyes in confusion. "Wha, what are you doing here?!" She sat up in bed, looking around to see that she was no longer in Ciel's apartment back in Death City, she was somewhere else. And she couldn't have been older than 12 years old.

Natsu jumped on the bed. "We have a mission today, remember?!"

She sighed, knowing this had to be a dream, and shrugged, going along with it. "Okay. What was it again?"

The boy scratched the back of his head, ceasing his jumping. "We're supposed to rescue a pet cat or something."

Naomi nodded, and got out of bed. She was about to leave the room when Natsu laughed. She glared back at him. "What?"

"Are you going to go in your pajamas?" Looking down she realized that this dream was a bit more life-like than her others. She groaned. "Oh, right." She looked around for a closet, and went through the clothes on the hangers and picked an outfit. Natsu didn't move from the bed. "Are you going to let me change or what?"

Natsu just laid down and plopped a pillow over his head with a muffled "there you go". Naomi groaned, and changed, keeping a firm eye on Natsu. She couldn't help but think about this dream. She KNEW she was dreaming, yet everything felt oddly familiar. The house, the clothes, and even Natsu.

When she was done getting dressed, Natsu took her out of the house and the blue cat Kashi had drawn for her, Happy, flew down from the sky. "She's awake!" Natsu smiled a big goofy grin. "Only because I woke her up! She was going to be late again!"

Naomi scoffed. "I'm never late!" Ciel had nearly beaten it into her to be punctual, but Natsu and Happy both laughed at her. "You're never on time!"

Happy landed himself on Naomi's head, and she gave him a scratch on the head. Natsu pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Here's a picture of the cat we're looking for." Their hands touched as he handed it to her, and she was sure she saw a tinge of a blush on his cheeks. The picture was of a plain black cat, with yellow eyes. "Tons of cats look like this… do we have any ideas where it might be?"

Natsu shrugged. "They said it likes water, and has a purple collar. Its comes to the name Plum."

Happy shook his head. "Its name is Juniper! It says so on the back of the picture!"

Natsu crossed his arms. "They're both purple round foods, close enough!"

Naomi huffed. "It isn't close enough if the cat comes to a particular name!"

The three spent all morning searching for the cat. They found a few black cats, but the eyes didn't match, or it didn't have a collar. They ended up sitting down in some chairs outside a café. Naomi sighed. "We've nearly searched everywhere this half of Magnolia. Are they sure the cat isn't hiding in their bathtub or something?" Natsu shrugged, but Happy answered. "They said Juniper has been missing for a week!" A blur out of the corner of her eye and a faint mew turned Naomi's attention to the other side of the street. There stood a black cat, with piercing yellow eyes and a purple collar. "Guys! Look!" Natsu grinned, and Happy started walking towards it. It looked skittish, but when they called out its name, it would meow.

When Naomi stood to walk towards it, it bolted down an alleyway. Her heart jumped in fear. "Quick! Follow her!" Natsu ran after Naomi as she followed in pursuit of the black cat. It twisted and turned thought the alleyways, sometimes only the tip of her tail indicating where it went. Naomi didn't slow down her pursuit, until she saw the cat crawl under some boxes at the end of an alley. Happy floated behind Naomi, Natsu panting not far behind. She carefully lifted the stack of boxes, and underneath them was a little bed of straw, and there lay Juniper, the lost cat, with 5 little beans. Naomi awed, and Natsu tried to peek over her shoulder. "What is it?"

Naomi pet the momma cat, and gently took one of the little beans in her hand. "She had kittens. That's why she couldn't go home."

Natsu's tired eyes lit up with energy once again, and a gentleness she hadn't seen before took over him. She handed him the kitten in her hand, and picked up another one. Their eyes had just opened, and they looked around with curious eyes. "Four black ones, and one white one. How adorable!" Happy pet the baby in Naomi's hand. He smiled, looking at how cautious Natsu was with the kitten in his hands. "I thought Natsu would be an awful father, but I guess he does have a soft side." Natsu couldn't even glare at Happy, too overcome with the adorableness of the kitten. And Naomi couldn't help feel a longing for the boy. Happy broke her thoughts with a snicker. "So how many kids are you guys gunna have together?"

Natsu and Naomi both snapped surprising eyes onto Happy. Stammers and unfinished words filled the air as they tried to tell Happy off, but he just smiled as neither one could finish a sentence. Naomi shook her head, and took a deep breath, trying to control her blush. "We need to transfer these guys into a box so we can take them all home safely." Natsu nodded, looking off to the side, a blush on his cheeks and a pout on his lips.

The smiles on the family were priceless when they appeared on the doorstep, with Juniper in Natsu's arms and her kittens in a box in Naomi's. They had no idea she was pregnant, and it was a huge surprise. They paid them triple, for bringing everyone back, and it left Natsu and Naomi extremely happy with their work for the day.

While walking back to the guild, Naomi's stomach growled. Natsu chuckled, hand brushing up against hers. "Hey, want to get something to eat?" Her eyes got lost in his black orbs, and all she could really do was nod, her heart racing and his smile intoxicating. A voice from behind them made her blink, but as she opened her eyes she found herself back in the apartment, Sebastian standing over her.

"Time to wake up, miss."

Naomi took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, and nodded. He left the room, and with the click of the door shutting, she let out her breath. The dream she had just experienced felt more real than anything that has happened so far in Death City, and that caused a bad feeling in her gut.

Sitting up, she rubbed her temples. "It's like I was never meant to be here…"


	19. 18: Home is Where the Heart is

**Chapter 18**

 **"** **Home is Where the Heart is"**

 **Song: Ross Copperman, All She Wrote "I'm feeling at home here…"**

Kashi opened her eyes, a growl stuck in her throat. She heard someone touch the doorknob to her room. The sound woke her up from her dream, and she wasn't happy about it. She turned to shoot a glare at whoever dared enter her room, but softened her gaze when she saw it was Kidd. She groggily raised an eyebrow at him. "What?" She croaked. Kidd entered the room with a plate of food. Kashi sat up quickly, her hair a disaster and her green eyes glistening. "I made you some breakfast…" Kidd whispered, knowing her hearing was sensitive in the morning. "We're going on a mission today; and you're coming with. So eat and get ready; we leave in an hour." He handed Kashi the plate, and with a quiet thank you from the sleepyhead, he exited the room, closing the door behind him. Kashi looked down at her plate; steak and eggs… she nearly drooled, and without much thought, started eating the food.

Back downstairs, Kidd was smiling while washing the dishes, proud of his cooking and happy that quite frankly, he didn't get yelled at; Kashi was not a morning person, nor a happy riser. She loved her sleep and wasn't afraid to let people know it when they woke her. His dumb expression stayed on his face until Liz stomped over to him and smacked him on the shoulder. He glared at her with an unamused frown. "What was that for?"

Patty was laughing in the background, making faces with her food. Liz sighed, placing a hand on her hip, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Dude, you've been acting weird. You got something for Kashi or what?"

Kidd's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "What? Where's this coming from, Liz?"

She groaned, smacking her head with her hand. "You're being nice. TOO nice."

Kidd dried off his hands and faced her, folding his arms across his chest. "What's wrong with being nice?"

"I'm just saying it isn't like you… breakfast in bed, really? You can't tell me you don't like her, like, LIKE, her."

Kidd's face darkened with a blush, and he turned his head to avoid her judging eyes. "So what if I do?" Liz smirked. "Well God damn, it's about time you found somebody you liked." Patty's happy giggled echoed in the kitchen, breaking the tension between the two partners. "We've all been watching you two; you should ask her out for real; not some dumb tour around town for ice cream."

"Wait, how do you…?!" Kidd shook his head, and he grabbed a dirty plate and resumed washing to distract himself from the conversation. "You know what, I'm not listening to you, Liz." The weapon leaned up against Kidd, making him squirm to get away from her. "I saw you holding hands… have you kissed her yet?" Kidd's face turned bright red, and he flashed his angry golden eyes at her. "LIZ!" She backed off, holding up her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. You're right… she's too innocent; she would have run away if you tried."

Kidd glared, his voice low in warning. "Liz…"

She shrugged her shoulders and walked away, just in time for Kashi to enter the kitchen with an empty plate. Her hair was still a mess, and she handed off the plate to Liz. "Wanted to run this down before you were done washing… sorry for interrupting!" Kashi left as quickly as she had entered, and Liz turned to Kidd with her eyebrows raised and a smirk playing on her lips. "She'd probably apologize for bothering you, too." Kidd rolled his eyes, and lightly punched Liz in the shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Actually, yeah," Kidd sighed. "I could see her doing that."

Kidd watched in admiration as Kashi used her explosive fire magic to take down the pair of kishin eggs they had been assigned to eliminate.

Liz and Patty hadn't even turned into their pistol forms, for Kashi had taken them down with her magic before they had the chance. Not even a drop of sweat could be seen as she effortlessly summoned a flame to her hands without a single word, and tossed it like a softball, coming in contact with the enemies' bodies for only a split second before exploding into an even bigger ball of flame. When one of the pre-kishins continued to run at them, even when on fire and missing an arm, Kashi just took a deep breath and blew a line of fire, which engulfed him and, subsequently, exploded. When the fire died off, all that was left were two floating soul orbs for the twins to consume.

Kidd stared in awe as Kashi just watched the remaining flames with a half-smile. "Sorry about all the fire." Liz crossed her arms, and smiled. "Hot damn, you're strong." Patty ran over to Kashi and began to grovel at her feet, leaving the poor girl wide-eyed and tense. Liz sighed, trying to pull her sister off their friend, and Kidd wouldn't stop staring. Kashi caught his gaze and blushed. Liz glared at Kidd. "Staring's rude, you know."

Kidd brought his hands to his cheeks. "That was AMAZING! How does magic work? Does it directly correlate with the size of your soul? That power was the equivalent of one of my death cannons, and you didn't even break a sweat!" Kashi looked down at her feet, that were still occupied by Patty, and smiled. "Well, thank you. My power is one of a kind back in Fairy Tail…" Kidd ran over and grabbed her shirt, pulling her close. He was so engrossed in his analyzing of her powers that he didn't even notice how close his face was to hers. Kashi blushed like a mad man, and she was empty for words as Kidd barraged her with questions. Liz pulled him off her, and Kashi resorted to her backup for tense situations; apologize.

"I-I'm sorry… that I'm so confusing…" She looked away, trying to hide her blushing face. Kidd stopped questioning long enough to realize he had flustered her to the core, and he blushed himself, seeing how close he had gotten to her. Liz just smirked at the two of them, and Patty was crying. "I want to be KASHI'S weapon!"

Kidd was about to scold Patty, when Kashi replied first with a comment that left him speechless. "Patty, you can't be my weapon. I don't wield; besides, Kidd would be asymmetrical without you." He watched her smile at his weapon, and realized that she wasn't making fun of him; only pointing out a truth. Did, did she really accept his OCD for a disorder, and not some stupid joke like everyone else thought it was? Kashi pulled Patty to her feet, and patted her on the head. Patty grabbed her in a hug, and Kashi tensed like a log, but forced a smile and tried reciprocating the hug as best she could. Kidd wondered why she hated touch so much; considering she let HIM hug her without any problems.

He felt a gaze burning into his skin, and looked to the side to see Liz smirking at him. He glared and raised his nose at her. Liz's lips moved, and Kidd read them to say "she likes you." Kidd shook his head, smiling. "Alright girls, time to go." Patty jumped up, screaming for an adventure. Kashi exhaled a breath she had been holding, and smiled.

"Thanks for letting me take them out, though. I haven't been allowed to use my magic since I got here… so that was nice to blow some steam." Kidd nodded. "No problem." Liz started complaining about food as Kidd took out beezlebub, and Kashi spoke up. "So, are we going someplace else or straight home?" Kidd looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"Like, do we need to go to the school first for a report or can I go take a nap?" Kidd smiled. "My house is home now?" Kashi frowned, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess." Liz and Patty turned into guns so Kidd could stuff them in his pockets, and he held out a hand to Kashi. She blushed, hating (yet not hating) the close contact on the skateboard. Kidd chuckled. "I suppose I can drop you off at home first." Kashi wrapped her arms around his waist, and Kidd smiled, taking them home.

That was the first time Kashi called this new world home. And it was wholly because Kidd was there with her.


	20. 19: Feeling Guilty

**Chapter 19**

 **"** **Feeling Guilty"**

 **Song: Lala Lala, James S. Levine (AHS Coven OST)**

It had been a few days since the incident with Ciel, and Naomi was finally getting comfortable again under his presence. She had an unofficial date with him tonight… they were going to eat at a fancy restaurant for dinner. As she was putting on her best dress for the outing, she felt Kashi nagging at the back of her mind. "I know, I know…" Naomi spoke to herself. "You're going to be furious at me." Naomi caught her own eyes in the mirror and stared. "I'm doing the right thing, right?"

A knock at her bedroom door startled her. Breaking her gaze from the mirror, she walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there was Sebastian. "Are you ready, Milady?" Naomi smiled and nodded, stopping quickly to put on her shoes. The butler led Naomi out of the hotel, and waiting at the end of the walk was a horse drawn buggy. Standing at its door was Ciel, in a fancy suit. Naomi smiled, walking up to him. "Good afternoon, sir." She said, jokingly. Ciel smiled, and opened the door for her, to which she took his hand and was assisted inside. Ciel followed her with Sebastian's assistance, and shut the door behind them, going up front to drive.

The dating couple sat in awkward silence for about fifteen minutes before they arrived at the restaurant. Naomi followed in silence as he escorted her inside, and to a table in a far corner. The place was packed; Naomi had heard of it, and apparently, some people waited months to get in. Looking at her menu, she smiled at Ciel. "Thank you for taking me here; you really didn't have to pick someplace so fancy." The earl nodded, picking up his own menu. "Of course I did; only the best for my lady."

Naomi blushed, but was saved when a waiter came over to ask for their orders. It wasn't far into their meal that Ciel moved his questions off his date and directed them towards her friends… specifically Kashi. Naomi watched with weary eyes as Ciel cut his steak, and casually asked question after question about her green-eyed friend. The questions started out vague… like if she knew her favorite hobbies. It didn't take long, however, for the questions to become more specific.

"What would you say her worst trait is?"

Naomi swallowed, unsure of how to respond. This was supposed to be a date, but Ciel seemed interested only in Kashi. "Um, well…" An image of Kashi being all pouty when Naomi headed out of the guild with Natsu popped into her mind. "She can be a bit clingy and jealous, I guess." Ciel nodded, taking a bite of his food. After a moment of silence, he swallowed, and continued.

"Was she somewhat erratic in her behavior?"

Naomi remembered how Kashi could go from pure joy to pathetic crying in a matter of minutes. Yes, she was erratic, but she felt it be best not to tell Ciel that, so she shook her head.

"Did she ever self harm, or threaten herself or someone else?"

She shook her head, although deep down something told her that wasn't exactly true. But how could she be sure, when her memories were erased? While Naomi was deep in thought, Ciel decided to punch with his biggest question.

"Is there anything that could lead you to believe Kashi might have violent tendencies?" Naomi gasped, placing her utensils down beside her plate. She excused herself to the bathroom, and sitting down on one of the toilets to think and calm down her anger towards the young earl, she got a series of flashbacks. All of them consisting of Kashi lashing out at someone, usually verbally, but she did remember one time where she punched Leo for touching her in an unwelcomed, flirtatious manner. Kashi didn't seem like one to be an angry person, but Naomi was getting flashbacks from an unfamiliar perspective of her friend. Was she violent? "No," Naomi thought to herself. "Everybody has bad days."

After ten minutes Naomi returned to her food, and Ciel acted as if she had never left. "To answer your question…" Naomi started, sitting back into her chair. "Kashi is not a violent person. As far as I can remember, which isn't much mind you, I've never seen her exchange more than a few unsavory words in times of conflict."

Ciel nodded, seemingly unhappy with this answer, and stayed silent. Naomi tried asking about the servants back at the manor, but Ciel replied in short sentences that left no opening for conversation. He had obviously been fishing for more information about Kashi to see if he could convict her, and still had nothing to go on. His plan failed. But at least Naomi wasn't blind to it.

Over dessert, the silence was broken with a sigh from Ciel. "I'm sorry; I should be asking questions about you. I'm so used to working, I forget when to leave it at home." Naomi blinked, surprised he would even mention it as a problem. Confused thoughts running through her mind, she nodded. "Thank you." When they were done eating, Ciel stood first, and wrapped arms with Naomi's when she stood from her chair. He led her out to their ride and helped her in first like a total gentleman, and made small talk on the way home. Ultimately, he didn't ask anymore questions about her or Kashi, and when they got back inside their hotel, Ciel accompanied her to her bedroom door.

Ciel bent down, taking one of Naomi's hands and gently pressing his lips to the back of them. Naomi's blood ran cold as an image of Natsu doing the exact same thing flashed over her vision. She smiled. "G-goodnight." The earl nodded, and left her to herself.

Without another word, she walked across her bedroom and flopped down onto the bed. "Why do I feel like I'm betraying him? I don't even remember much about that pink haired guy…" Rolling over, she stared up at the ceiling. "And Ciel… why is he so interested in Kashi?" She quickly dozed off, pondering the possible relationship between her and Natsu…

If only she could remember more about her past…


	21. 20: Mirror Effect

**Chapter 20**

 **"** **Mirror Effect"**

 **Song: The Seven Wonders, Stevie Nicks (from AHS) "If I hope and I pray, it might work out someday."**

Kashi and Naomi were out walking around Death City for a girl's day. The sun was high in the sky casting hot rays onto their backs and a slight breeze cooled them off just enough to keep it from being uncomfortable. They both wore jean shorts of varying blue hues while Kashi wore her favorite black tank-top, and Naomi wore a frilly white blouse. The festival had come back to Death City, and even though Kidd had promised to take Kashi out to see it all, he had an important mission to attend to first, so he wouldn't be back until late. So Kashi called up Naomi.

She was surprised Ciel let her go so easily, but she wasn't going to ask any questions. They visited the stands that lined the sides of main street. Kashi gasped; the sheer amount of stuff went on farther than she could see. "Kidd was right; Death City sure buzzes when there's a festival!" Naomi smiled, picking up a free pinwheel. "I feel like I've been to something like this before… did we have festivals in Fairy Tail?"

Kashi nodded, drooling over a stand filled to the brim with cured meats. "Yep! At least once a year… the most popular one was your favorite; the Magnolia Festival! We hold it on the day the tree of Magnolia magically lights up like a rainbow as the sun sets."

Naomi had a picture flash in her mind. The tree looked like it had come from an alien planet; it glowed in a great variety of colors, and shone like a star in the sky. Naomi was in awe at the image, and Kashi pulled her forward. "We have a lot to see, let's go!"

The more Naomi saw, the more she remembered. The tree was most vivid in her mind, along with lots of snippets with the same pink haired boy. Natsu. Kashi smiled as they passed a lantern stand. "Natsu would buy you one every year."

Naomi stopped to look, and their intricate designs captivated her. "What are they?" Kashi shook her head. "Goodness… You light a candle in the middle and it floats into the air, eventually burning up. When hundreds of people let them go at once, it's beautiful." The owner of the stand handed each girl a lantern. "They're free!" she said. "For the annual lantern show tonight. Please, take one!" Kashi smiled and took hers, thanking the kind lady. Naomi did the same, and followed Kashi out into the nearby park. There were exotic animals and a few rides, but both were happy looking at the animals. Kashi got motion sick looking at the rollercoaster, and Naomi couldn't help but laugh at her.

They carried their lanterns all afternoon, and Naomi couldn't help but feel like a memory was on the tip on her tongue. Like she could feel the memory, but nothing was coming to her. Advertisements for a parade were all around town, so the two went to see that, too; the funniest part was seeing Soul dressed as a bellydancer; apparently, he'd lost a bet to Blackstar, and this was his punishment.

Naomi was lost in her thoughts about the lantern. How can she feel so close to someone, something, and not remember? Her thoughts were broken when a voice called from behind the two of them. Looking behind her, she saw Kidd, and a flash of the memory came in her mind. She was standing in a street, much like she was now, and heard a voice behind her. When she looked, it was Natsu. He had the biggest grin on his face, and in his hands… a lantern.

The memory was gone as quickly as it came, and Kidd gave Kashi a hug. Looking at the lanterns they both possessed, he smiled. "You guys got lanterns? Great; the sun's setting, and the lantern lighting is right after sunset." Naomi tried hard to remember more from the memory while they walked, but it was lost. She smirked, seeing a sly arm slide around Kashi's shoulders. She pretended it was like a hug and just smiled, and Naomi got another piece of the memory.

~Naomi was walking with her lantern, Natsu right beside her, while they headed to her apartment. "Why don't you just light them like everybody else?" Naomi shrugged. "I can look at each one and remember what I did for the festival that year; and that's priceless to me." A sly smirk appeared on Natsu's face, and he slid an arm around Naomi's shoulders while her hands were too busy carrying the lantern to push him away. Naomi blushed, convincing herself he was just being friendly. Kashi appeared on the street ahead of them, and she smirked. "You two on a date?"~

Naomi smiled, and had to hide a chuckle. "You two on a date?" Kashi whipped her head around, her face bright red with a blush. Kidd chuckled, bringing his arm back to his side, a blush creeping across his own face. Kashi responded with a quiet "no", and Kidd just shrugged, pretending his pride wasn't hurt. Kashi glared and crossed her arms, secretly wishing Kidd hadn't let go of her; like Natsu hadn't let go of Naomi.

The darkness crept across the sky as the sun disappeared into the horizon. The crowd got bigger in the streets, and people started lighting their lanterns. Naomi followed Kidd's instructions on how to light it, and as the clock tower hit the top of the hour, everyone pushed their lanterns into the air. Naomi watched in wonder as the lanterns lit up the sky like early stars. The sky suddenly changed to a darker shade of blue, and she realized she was back in her memory yet again.

~Looking to her side, she saw Natsu was looking down at her with soft eyes. She smiled, and hugged him. "So beautiful…" she whispered, while looking up at the midnight sky. Natsu's eyes remained fixed on her face as if in a trance, and whispered back. "Yes… Beautiful…" Natsu's arm wrapped around her, and they held each other, watching the lights get smaller and smaller. A voice called from behind them, and they broke apart from their hug faster than lightning. "Not a date, sure…" Kashi was standing behind them with a smirk. ~

Naomi blinked away her memory and looked to Kashi, who was enjoying another hug from Kidd. "Was I dating Natsu?"

Kashi looked back, confusion written all over her face. "What?"

Naomi shrugged. "I got some memories today, in flashes… it reminds me a lot of you two." Kashi blushed, and Kidd ran his fingers through his hair. Kashi stuttered. "Um, well, officially, no. But technically, yes."

Naomi smirked. "So, you two are basically dating too, then?" Kashi hid her face, and Kidd cringed. Naomi laughed, trying to hide the pain she felt in her heart. She knew what she saw between Kidd and Kashi was love… and that was mirrored by what she saw in her memories with Natsu, so, if she was truly in love with Natsu…

Then what was she going to do about Ciel?


	22. 21: Karma's a Btch

**Chapter 21**

 **"Karma's a B*tch"**

 **Song: Enter Sandman, Metallica "Sleep with one eye open."**

Red eyes gleamed, searching the magical mirror for the human he desired. Bearing a broad, too-wide grin, his voice scratched. "See… the weakling with an eyepatch…" A picture of Death City was in the mirror, and Ciel was in the center, with Sebastian right beside him. "The demon beside him… that is who I need. If I can relieve him of his pet, then he would be free to join me."

Bright yellow snake eyes sparkled in the background. "Another demon on our side would be quite beneficial. How will you take care of the boy, Asura?"

The masked man turned, still smiling, to face the other body in the room. "You will take his soul, Medusa." The eyes blinked in agreement. "I will pay dear Father and brother a visit whilst you accomplish this task. I trust you shall have no issue?"

Medusa's yellow eyes squinted, and a hiss echoed through the room. "Of course, my lord."

Asura turned back to the mirror, watching as the young boy and his demon walked the streets, unaware of his plans. A deep chuckle arose in his throat.

"Soon… very soon. Tomorrow, indeed, is still not soon enough."


	23. 22: The Not-So-Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 22**

 **"The Not-So-Calm Before the Storm"**

 **Song: Basket Case, Green Day "Do you have the time to listen to me whine?"**

The sun was high in the sky and a slight breeze ruffled the girl's hair. Kashi walked next to Naomi, a content expression across both their faces as they wandered the streets of Death City. They had been window shopping, sightseeing more like it really, because they hadn't bought anything yet. The two had been more busy chatting about their lives. Naomi had some flashbacks to her past in Fairy Tail, and Kashi was trying to help her decipher them.

"…I'm really surprised," Kashi started, stopping to drool over some jewelry in a shop window. "That you haven't really remembered your relationship with Natsu yet."

Naomi pulled on Kashi's arm, trying to drag her away from the shiny objects. "I know you don't like me being with Ciel, and you would rather I remember Natsu so that I would have a reason to leave him but… until that happens, can you please stop being so mean to him?"

Kashi flipped her hair, glaring at Naomi. "The jerk HIT you…"

Naomi took a deep breath, crossing her arms. "It was an accident… he hasn't even raised his voice since. Give him a chance."

Kashi groaned, and turned her attention back to the jewels. "You were never such a pushover…"

Naomi kicked Kashi, and she let out a yelp. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "I can't change what I am. Why don't we talk about your sudden fascination with jewelry? I don't remember much, but for someone who always wore black and never even touched a gemstone in her life, why are you so suddenly captivated?"

Kashi's face turned red, and she avoided eye contact with the redhead. "I've always liked them… just never had a reason to wear anything."

Naomi smirked, leaning in so their faces were close together. "Are you hoping Kidd will get you something nice?"

Kashi threw up her hands to cover her blushing face and turned away from the window. "NO!"

Naomi laughed and continued on their path, Kashi following with one last glance at the jewelry and a light smack to her cheeks to help calm herself down. Naomi couldn't help but chuckle. They soon passed a wedding dress shop, and Naomi couldn't help but gawk. "Ciel said he would marry me when I first met him… I wonder if he'd do it properly?"

Kashi moaned, and Naomi looked over to see her shaking her head. "You'd better not…" Naomi shrugged. "But why not? You know I owe him for saving me. And until I can remember my past I have no reason not to, technically."

Kashi glared again. "But if you did, and THEN remembered, you would be screwed. And hate yourself."

Naomi frowned. Were you always this much of an ass when I remembered you?" Kashi shook her head. "No. I'm just trying to keep you from doing something you WILL regret." Naomi just clenched her teeth, holding back her anger. She took a deep breath and was going to ask Kashi how it would feel if she refused to let Kashi marry Kidd in the event, when they ran into Ciel and Sebastian on the street. Naomi greeted the two, and when Kashi turned to see them, she muttered curse words under her breath and glared as her friend dragged her towards the two Englishmen.

Ciel smiled his mischievous smile and glared back at Kashi with his one eye. "I take it she still doesn't like me?" Kashi hissed. "No way in hell, asshat." Ciel just smirked. "Why can't you be as kind as this fair lady?" He wrapped an arm around Naomi's side, and she just looked down in embarrassment. Kashi folded her arms, her eyebrows scrunched and eyes nearly slits. "I'm only as kind as the person I'm talking to, so maybe you should take a look at yourself and ask yourself why I'm such an ass…"

"Will you two please stop…?" Naomi tried to intervene, but the two continued to argue. After a few minutes, Kashi said the one thing that people have lost their lives due to saying.

"You're just like a two-year-old child!"

Ciel's pupils shrunk, and Sebastian looked away, stifling a laugh. "I AM NOT A CHILD!"

Kashi got up in his face and her eyes sparkled with determination. "You're a rude, selfish, inconsiderate, little, child!"

Ciel darted his eyes of fire to his butler. "SEBASTIAN!" Before Kashi could even register what was going on, Sebastian threw a fist right into Kashi's face. She flew back a few feet, blood gushing from her nose, and various scrapes from hitting the ground. "Kashi!" Naomi yelled out for her friend, but she was trying to laugh the pain off and just lay there, bleeding. Naomi flashed eyes of hatred towards Ciel. "How dare you hurt my friend? Maybe she is right about you after all…" Ciel only looked down at Kashi, smirking. "That's what happens when you mess with a 'child'." Kashi clenched her teeth as she tried to get up, only to have Ciel kick her in the side with his pointy girly boots and have her collapse again. Naomi raised a hand to slap Ciel in the face only to be stopped by Sebastian. Before Naomi could yell profanities at Sebastian and Kashi could get up and beat Ciel to a pulp, a familiar voice rang over all of them. "KASHI!"

The boy with three white stripes in his pitch black hair ran over and pushed Ciel away, nearly tipping him over, while bending down to see Kashi. "Are you okay? Didn't think that brat of all people would get the better of you." Kashi was still laughing to an extent, and she just laughed harder. "Are you kidding? If that kid punched me I wouldn't even get a bruise-it was his stupid butler."

"I'M RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW!" Ciel's anger boiled and Sebastian gently led him away, leaving Naomi behind with Kashi and Kidd. Naomi watched as Kidd helped her friend off the ground. "I'm sorry, this might be my fault." Kashi shook her head. "No no, you're fine. I provoked the little runt." Kidd took a clean tissue out of his back pocket and offered it to Kashi for her nose. Naomi crossed her arms and looked at the boy. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Kidd looked away, a slight blush on his face. "I was just around town when I saw you guys and decided to follow you…"

Naomi smirked, glancing over at the oblivious Kashi who was preoccupied shoving the tissue up her nose. "Well, at least you're honest."

Kashi sighed with satisfaction having cleaned her face off and stopped the bleeding, but now was wandering over to some squirrels playing on the tree nearby. Kidd looked at Naomi curiously. "Say, does Kashi ever talk about me?" Naomi tore her gaze away from her friend and moved it to the young reaper. "Kashi? Why do you ask?" Kidd watched Kashi chasing the squirrels (probably caused by a minor concussion) with a straight face as he replied. "Just curious." Naomi smiled. "I can tell you one thing-she can be a really difficult person to manage. Her personality is a unique one." Kidd glanced over at Naomi with a confused expression, and she just smiled at him. "But I assume you already knew that, didn't you?"

Kidd sighed, his lips forming a rare smile. "Yes, I did."

Naomi started walking over to Kashi when she screamed "CAT" and started running over to a feline friend in the window of one of the shops. Kidd called out as she left him behind. "You never answered my question!" Naomi chuckled. "She doesn't hate you, if that's what you're after." Kidd shook his head, turning to make his leave. "She thinks she's so clever…" Kidd only managed to take a few steps before he saw Liz and Patty running towards him with panicked faces. "What's going on?"

Liz reached him first, with Patty close behind. "Asura! He's in Death City- Soul, Maka, Blackstar, and Tsubaki are already there keeping him at bay-they need you!"

Kidd turned around and saw Naomi dragging a grumpy Kashi by the arm. She looked up and saw the girls, and looked concerned. "What's going on?" Kidd summoned his skateboard, and as Liz and Patty turned into guns he shoved them in his pockets, reaching out for them. "We will need your help, both of you! Asura's in town, literally."

Suddenly Sebastian appeared next to the group. "Miss Naomi, Ciel's soul has been captured by the Kishin. I am going to retrieve it. Do you have one last request before I leave?" Naomi nodded. "Yeah. Take me to the Kishin with Kidd and Kashi!" Kashi nodded, hopping on beezlebub with her arms wrapped around Kidd's waist, and Naomi hopped on Sebastian's back. "Yes, my lady." The group quickly made their way north of the academy where Asura was.

An explosion was seen, and the group landed next to Soul and Maka. Tsubaki and Blackstar were a few yards away in a fighting stance. Kidd glared at Asura. "What's going on here?!" Maka gasped for breath. "He just appeared out of nowhere. He attacked Lord Death; we need to take him out while we can!" Kidd's eyes went wide. "Is father okay?!" Soul could be heard within the Scythe form. "We won't be able to find out if we don't get out of this alive!"


	24. 23: Sibling Rivalry

**Chapter 23**

 **"Sibling Rivalry"**

 **Song: Emperor's New Clothes, Panic at the Disco "I'm taking back the crown!"**

A red sphere surrounded the area, making escape and backup impossible. Kidd scrunched his eyebrows. "As a grim reaper, I will protect this world." Kashi looked over at him with worried eyes. "I'll help, too." Kidd smirked, thinking of something. "So we all began this battle in different places, and yet here we are back together at the end of it." Maka grinned. "Yep. I'm not complaining." Blackstar smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah, neither am I." Naomi stood behind Kashi and whispered to her friend. "What should I do?" Kashi glanced at her red headed friend. "Help anyone if they get hurt, alright?" Naomi hesitated, knowing her life-sucking nature, but nodded anyway. "Okay."

Kidd, Blackstar, and Maka all held their weapons defensively as Kidd began to speak. "Alright. Keep a tight rein on your souls at all times. Do not let down your guard. If you do, the madness will consume you. We can't afford to let that happen." Maka looked ahead determinedly. "I know." Blackstar tensed. "He got me last time. But this time I'm gunna make him pay!" Kidd began soul resonance with Liz and Patty as they turned into cannons. He pointed the guns ahead towards the Kishin Asura. "If we manage to make I tout of this alive something tells me ghosts won't scare me so much anymore." Liz's voice sounded out of one of the cannons. Patty's voice followed suit. "Wow that would make you as strong as the grim reaper." "Now now, patty, let's not get carried away, I'm not volunteering for that job anytime soon." "Can I?"

Blackstar was toning out their bickering as Tsubaki spoke to him. "Blackstar. Is today the day? Will this be the moment when you surpass God?" Blackstar nodded. "Yeah. Just watch me."

Beside them Soul and Maka resonated souls as Soul changed into a genie hunter form. Soul opened up the piano in his soul as Maka asked, "Alright guys, are we ready?" It was a silent agreement, and everybody, including Naomi and Kashi, group resonated their souls. Their eyes all focused on the Kishin as he glowed red. Liz spoke with panic in her voice. "Hey, wait a minute, that's not what he looked like a minute ago! He's gotten bigger!" Kidd clenched his teeth; sweat beading on his forehead already from the thought of fighting this thing. "He must have killed Arachne and swallowed her soul." Blackstar broke in. "I couldn't care less what you look like; I'm still going to destroy you, Kishin. Got it?"

A foreboding voice called out over all of them. "Insects. Yummy. Come closer, little insects."

Even Blackstar was nervous, even though he would never tell it. He swallowed hard, and Maka broke the tension. "Listen up. Soul is about to play. Everyone ready?" Everyone nodded, and without further adue Soul slammed his hands down on the ivory keys, and began to play. Blackstar ran with lightning speed and slashed as the Kishin, missing by a hair. As he dropped to the ground Kidd jumped in the air on the other side of the Kishin and fired his cannons at the Kishin's face, barely knocking him back and not even leaving a mark. As he fell back Kashi covered the being from head to toe with dragon flames that exploded, blowing everyone back for a moment, but not even leaving a scorch mark on the Kishin. When Kashi withdrew Maka drew Soul and slashed at the demon with all her might, getting the blade lodged in his arm. The Kishin thought out loud. "Impossible. That girl is combining two incredible powers." She slashed at him again and again, barely moving the Kishin back at all as he watched her and thought. "Black Blood and Genie Hunter working together?!" Maka yelled. "Let's go!" And Blackstar ambushed him from behind, slashing at his head and neck, bouncing back as if he were trying to hit metal. "His skin is as hard as armor!" Kidd nodded. "Our attacks are working though. Let's keep it coming."

The four students slashed and bombed the Kishin repeatedly, one after another, never letting up on their attacks. Nothing seems to leave a mark on him at all. Blackstar growls in irritation. "Are you sure this is working?" Kidd glared at the Kishin. "Yes I'm sure. Just look around you. The barrier he set up is starting to weaken. That's proof we're doing something." Naomi nodded. "You guys are resonating well together too." Maka nodded. "If we keep this up we can beat him." Kashi started the next attack and everyone followed suit, Naomi watching from a safe distance hoping she could figure out a way to help. Her head was getting cloudy, and she started hearing voices in her head, and not the normal ones, either. The insanity was taking over her.

As the rest of the group fought Naomi was quickly losing her mind. "Uh, guys, I don't think I can stand this much longer…" Not to mention there was a sense of foreboding within the group resonance. Nobody could hear her though, and as they continued throwing hits at their target, she closed her eyes. When she did, she saw the same girl as before, with the long blonde hair and wings on her head. "You can't give in right now; you'll kill them all!" She snapped open her eyes and watched with terror as Maka fell mid-attack and dropped Soul as he turned back into a human. "SOUL!" The Kishin laughed as Kidd looked on in horror. "What happened? Why isn't the Kishin hurt at all!" Naomi ran over to Soul who was now in Maka's arms. "My insanity probably sped this up, didn't it?" Kashi snapped her attention to Naomi. "Wait, I thought you lost your powers along with your memory?" Naomi glared at Kashi. "You mean to tell me you know why my touch kills things?!" Kashi stuttered, and opened her mouth to answer only to be interrupted by the Kishin's maniacal laughter. Kidd glared. "Pathetic. Useless. I don't deserve to be his son. I wish I trusted him. Things would be different now." Kashi looked at the stripy reaper with sadness and tears brimming in her eyes. She hated seeing someone she loved in such as state. Then she stopped and thought about what she had just thought. _I… I love him? I guess I do…_ "I failed my father. Maybe I don't have what it takes to do this." Kashi whispered his name, but he ignored her. _I have to tell him before he does something stupid!_ "But, I can try! Hear me now, Asura! Die in the name of the grim reaper!" Asura chuckled. "Liz, Patty! You ready?!" "Yeah!" "Let's go soul resonance!"

 _Too late._

Everyone stepped back as a bright blue ball surrounded Kidd and his weapons. Tsubaki spoke up. "That's his soul?! It's so strong!"

Kidd then asked for Blackstar and Kashi's assistance. "With this next shot I'm giving it all I've got. There will be no second chances." The two looked at him with a petrified stare. "What do you mean by that?!" Kashi exclaimed. "Back me up. You have to trust me!" Blackstar yelled. "Hell no! I'll charge in, and you guys can back ME up when you're ready!" Kidd shook his head. "Have it your way!" Blackstar flung himself at the Kishin, but as Kidd started accelerating his soul to charge up his death cannons, the Kishin pointed a finger at the young reaper, and shot him, right through his stomach. Kashi, Blackstar, Tsubaki and Naomi watched in horror as their favorite reaper fell to the ground without as much as a sound. Kashi couldn't even see anymore due to her tears, and she felt herself fall to her knees as the Kishin laughed hysterically. Blackstar was standing in shock, and Naomi felt a wide grin creep up onto her face. Her eyes dilated and her face twisted into pure insanity. She laughed with an evil even the Kishin didn't seem to possess, and haphazardly walked to the Kishin's feet. The being stared down at Naomi, an odd chill running through his spine when he saw her face. Nobody was even looking when she jumped up and lay the palm of her hand on his ugly forehead. A high pitched squeal unlike any of this world rang out over half the continent, Naomi's eyes wide and her mouth grinning with insanity as the Kishin's skin wrinkled and was sucked of any living color and tissue. An evilly purple glow surrounded the two as she sucked the life out of him. Only Blackstar and Tsubaki saw what she did- Maka was preoccupied with Soul and Kashi couldn't see past the fountain of her own tears. A minute was all it took for Naomi's bout of insanity to awaken the darkest recesses of her magic and suck the very life out of the Kishin, leaving behind a pile of crispy skin, brittle bones and a large glowing soul.

Kashi crawled towards Kidd, calling out his name. Naomi blinked and looked around in confusion, seeing everyone on the ground except her. The red barrier surrounding them all dissipated and suddenly a violet vortex of clouds appeared above their heads. She ran over to Kashi trying to help her up, and before they could reach Kidd the two of them blacked out, this time to wake up somewhere they least expected, but always hoped.


	25. 24: I Remember Now

**Chapter 24**

 **"I Remember Now…"**

 **Song: Sooner or Later, Mat Kearney "I swear, we're gunna make it."**

A dull ache spanned over Naomi's entire body. She felt herself lying on hard rocks, and could hear someone calling her name. Opening her dark blue eyes everything was blurry. She blinked a few times and made out a figure standing over her. The man was covered in many black cloths, and had a few blue hairs escaping from his mask. He was calling her name. "Naomi!" She sat up slowly, blinking the rest of the blur out of her eyes and shaking her head back to reality. The man kept yelling at her. "Naomi! You need to use your magic to help this man, now!" Naomi shook her head, far beyond confused. "What? I don't have magic strong enough to bring him back, that's insane!?"

The man frowned through his mask. "Of course you do! The power of life and death itself, you're known all over Fiore for it. What's wrong with you!"

Naomi looked behind him to see Kashi bent over Kidd, who hadn't moved or visibly drawn a breath in the last 60 seconds. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered what had just happened, and sunk when she realized her best friend might have just lost the most important person to her in the world. Time slowed as Kashi turned her head towards Naomi, tears streaming down her face and green eyes pleading. "Naomi…he isn't breathing…you have to remember…" Suddenly the red haired girl got dizzy and her head pounded with pain as memories came flooding back to her. People and places she couldn't recall took their rightful places back in her mind, and panic rose up in her throat as she remembered what she was born to do.

*flashback*

Naomi sat in a dark, damp corner of a stone room. It was nearly pitch black, and the only source of warmth in her cell were the rats crawling around the filthy cages. Her red hair was dirty and her blue eyes were clouded from lack of nourishment and sleep. A man who had been patrolling these quarters took painfully slow steps up and down the corridors, and this time stopped in front of her cell door. She heard the jingle of keys and the groaning of the door as it opened.

"Get off your ass, kid. You're moving in with the others."

Dragging her chains behind her, Naomi got up and followed the man a few cells down. He then proceeded to kick her in her back launching her into the new cell like a lost dog. She hit the floor with a dull thud and just lay there, listening as the man locked the cage and left.

A few minutes passed before anyone dared to move. Naomi peeked and saw a boy with blue hair and a face tattoo coming towards her from the shadows. She knew him as Jellal-they had met before while working. He reached out a hand and helped the girl up onto her feet. As she dusted herself off, her friend with red hair identical to hers left the shadows to greet her. "Hey, Naomi…" She looked down at Naomi's legs and saw a trickle of blood from where her leg scraped against the hard stone floor. "You're bleeding!" She bent down to look at it, and sighed. "It's not bad, but still…" Naomi sighed. "It could have been worse." Jellal ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt and tied it tight around her wound. He stood up, beaming a smile. "All better!"

Naomi thanked Jellal and Erza gave her a hug. "Finally you get to hang out with us!" They all laughed quietly, for footsteps were heard again down the corridor, coming in their direction. Erza and Jellal went back to their places against the wall, and Naomi found her own spot to hide. The man stopped in front of the cage, this time with a bowl of bread bites. He threw them into the cell as if he were feeding wild birds. As soon as he left the others came out of the shadows and helped pick up the pieces before they became wet and dirty. They proceeded to put them in a pile and divide them up evenly amongst everyone in the cell. There, she met Wally Buchanan, Sho, Simon, and Milliana.

As they ate and huddled together for warmth, Jellal spoke up. "So, Naomi, what's your name?" She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Uh, Naomi?" He shook his head. "No no no, like, your LAST name! Mine's Fernandes!" She shrugged. "I don't really have one." Jellal looked shocked, then Erza spoke up. "I don't have a last name either." As he stared at her in astonishment, she added "What's so weird about that?" Jellal shrugged. "Well, I might forget your name if you don't have one!"

Erza and Naomi sat next to each other, looking at Jellal as he contemplated something. "I know!" He put his hands on either of the girl's heads. "Scarlet! You can both have the last name Scarlet, so I'll never forget! The Scarlet Sisters- I love it!"

Erza blushed and looked at her hair, while Naomi gave the boy a hug and then proceeded to give Erza a hug. "Ive always wanted a sister!" Jellal smirked and raised his hands in the air. "From now on you shall be known as Erza and Naomi Scarlet!" Everyone in the cell clapped until a yell was heard down the hall.

"Shut up you little rats!"

They all giggled quietly as they finished their food, and talked about how they would never forget each other, and how they would escape together.

*some time later, still in flashback*

Naomi's little legs ran as fast as they could across the work place. She heard Jellal had attacked some people, sending the guards running, and wanted to make sure Erza and her friends were okay. Turning a corner she saw her red-haired friend crouched on the ground over Simon, crying into his shirt. It was no lie that Simon liked Erza, and she knew it as well as anyone else did. She turned to see Naomi, her big brown eyes filled with tears, and spoke of guilt. Naomi stopped dead in her tracks, seeing a small pool of blood at Simon's head. Erza chocked. "N-Naomi…he's not breathing…"

Before she knew what she was doing she had pushed Erza out of the way and willed for life to come back to Simon. A few minutes passed and a purple glow surrounded Naomi's hands, and mere moments later Simon coughed up some blood, hurt but alive. Erza hugged Simon, looking up to Naomi. "You saved him! With magic!" Naomi looked down at her hands that gave life to a person - something nobody should be able to do. With it she knew she could do great things, and also very bad things.

Naomi snapped out of her flashback. To the man and Kashi's surprise she yelled out "Today is one of those good days!" She leapt up from her spot in the dirt and pushed Kashi away from the asymmetrical reaper. Instinct took over as she willed life to come back to her friend. A purple glow surrounded her hands as Kashi moved around to the opposite side of Naomi and held one of Kidd's hands. The glow soon surrounded the three as Naomi poured her full strength into this one person.

Moments later, Kidd sat up, coughing fiercely. Kashi gasped, and quickly wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Naomi let out breath she didn't know she had been holding. Kidd coughed for a minute, and looked at Kashi, then to Naomi, eyebrows scrunched. "What happened?" Naomi opened her mouth to reply when Kashi's muffled voice replied. "I thought you'd died!" Naomi smiled as Kidd looked softly towards Kashi, and stroked her hair.

"I'm a reaper, I'm sure I would have been fine." Mistogan walked over to the three who were still sitting on the ground. "Actually, since you aren't in your world anymore, you lost your reaper regenerative abilities. If it weren't for Naomi, you would be dead right now." Kidd's eyes widened and Kashi sobbed louder at the comment. Naomi stood up, brushing off the dirt. "I can't believe I forgot about my magic…" She stopped for a moment, thinking back. Suddenly her heart ached, and she remembered the person Kashi had warned her about.

"OH MY GOD! NATSU!" Naomi frantically glanced around and started to run down the road when Mistogan grabbed her. "Calm down." Naomi tried to break free of Mistogan's grasp, clearly distressed. "NO! I HAVE TO SEE NATSU!" Mistogan held fast. "I need to explain some things. We can talk and walk at the same time." Naomi struggled some more before she gave an agitated yell. "Fine!" Mistogan let go and Naomi huffed. "Only because I have NO idea where I'm at! Let's go then." Naomi started walking before Kashi could even help Kidd stand up. Kashi had wiped away the remnants of her tears as they started walking. Kidd looked at the shoulder she had cried on. "This distresses me. Could you cry on my other shoulder too?" Kashi shook her head. "Crying? Who, me? Never…" Kid chuckled.

Mistogan took stride alongside Kidd and Kashi, and Naomi was within hearing distance ahead of them. "I have to apologize for all the confusion… I used the magic power from the dying Kishin in order to bring Naomi and Kashi back to our land. However, in the process I brought you with them." Kidd shook his head. "It just doesn't make any sense. How do I get back?" Mistogan merely blinked. "That's the problem. As far as I know, there is no way for you to return to your land." Kid nodded slowly. Naomi stopped and faced Mistogan. "But how the hell did we get to his land in the first place?"

"A land opposite of our land, called Edolas, had used an ancient magic to suck magic power from our world. It targeted Fairy Tail, and turned everyone into a giant lacrima. The strongest of the guild, you two and the dragon slayers, were left "alive" in order to power the cannon that would destroy the lacrima, bringing magic back to Edolas. Somewhere, the magic went wrong and sent you two to Planet Earth instead of Edolas." Kashi met eyes with Naomi. "What happened to everyone?" Mistogan smiled under his mask. "Thankfully, Natsu and the others were able to break the lacrima as I opened a portal back to Earthland, so everyone returned home safely. With a few new exceed friends." Kashi smiled. "More exceeds?! Maybe I can get one too!" Kidd glanced at Kashi, who's eyes were sparkling. "What's an exceed?"

Naomi huffed. "Man, we have a lot to teach you."

Mistogan chuckles. "Well, you have time. At this rate, we won't return to the guild until tomorrow."


	26. 25: Reunions

**Chapter 25**

 **"Reunions"**

 **Song: Right Behind You, James Durbin "I won't let you die; I'll be right behind you."**

Naomi had broken away from the rest of the group to walk ahead in silence. She had asked Kashi why she hadn't tried harder to stop herself from getting so close to Ciel… now that she remembered Natsu, she shuddered, thinking about what he would say if he found out another man had hit her… and she let him get away with it. She hated herself for how much of a pushover she was… and hated even most that Kashi was right. With her memories returned, all she could think about is how weak she acted… and thought she was.

While Naomi was battling with herself, Mistogan rolled his eyes as Kashi recited the same questions from half an hour ago to Kidd. "Are you sure you're okay to walk by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Does anything hurt?"

"Just my head."

"Can I get you anything?"

Kidd sighed. "Really, I'm fine, Kashi. Promise."

She flinched back, realizing she was being annoying with her constant questioning. Looking down at her feet, she stayed quiet. Naomi's eyes were fixed forward, waiting for something familiar in the distance. As they climbed to the top of a small hill in the road, she gasped.

"Magnolia! We're here!" Kashi's head snapped up, looking around. A smile slowly spread across her face, relief washing over her. "Home." Naomi wasted no time in starting her dead sprint towards the city in the distance. Kidd glanced over to Kashi, who made no effort to follow her friend. "Aren't you going to go with her?"

Kashi shook her head. "Nah. I didn't leave anything behind like she did. The guild can wait ten more minutes for us to walk there." Sighing, she smiled at Kidd. "Besides, it's not like you know where you're going, right?" Kidd pointed to Mistogan. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind showing me the way. Why don't you go?"

Kashi's eyes wandered to the city, her red-headed friend a little speck in the distance. "You once went out of your way to make sure I felt at home. I'm going to make sure I do the same for you." Kidd smiled, and patted his green-eyed friend on the shoulder. He was oblivious to the blush that brushed her cheeks. "Thank you."

Natsu was bickering with Gray in the guild hall. "You callin' me a pervert?"

"Hell yeah I am, Stripper!"

"Pyro!"

Natsu opened his mouth to throw another insult when his nose caught wind of a scent. "Yo, wait a second…" Natsu started sniffing the air and abandoned Gray. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! I'm not done with you!"

Everyone looked at Natsu curiously. He was standing stone still, nose twitching. His eyes dilated, and he whispered to himself. "Naomi?" Erza was sitting a few tables away eating a cake, and heard Natsu say her sister's name. She stood up, eyes glued on Natsu. Nobody dared move. A pin drop could be heard as the entirety of the guild stopped to watch Natsu. Suddenly Natsu bolted for the doors, startling everyone as he busted them down while running out of the guild. Tears filled his onyx eyes as he started yelling her name.

"NAOMI!"

Naomi's red hair whipped behind her as she used every drop of strength in her to continue running. Her ocean blue eyes didn't even need to see where she was going; she knew this town by heart. A left, then a right. Two blocks straight, then right again. She scanned the faces that were staring at her as she ran through the streets. Some of them were familiar, but none of them were the face she was looking for. She turned down onto the main street that led the rest of the way to the guild hall. Her eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face as she saw the guild symbol flying high. It was then she stopped. She spotted spiky pink hair in the crowd ahead of her. Pushing aside pedestrians, she saw the face she was looking for.

"NATSUUU!"

He looked up, a smile spreading on his face.

"NAOMIII!"

As the distance between them shrunk, time stood still. Both of their hearts were racing as they both anticipated the embrace they had been yearning for the past few months. The two collided, and Natsu lifted Naomi off of the ground in a spinning hug. Tears soaked each other's shoulders as they stood there, right in the middle of the road, and held each other tightly.

"Where the hell were you?" Natsu muttered between breaths.

Naomi tightened her grip on the fire dragon slayer. "Somewhere awful." Natsu pulled away and looked into her bright blue eyes. "You weren't there." More tears fell from his eyes at her words and he tried his best to smile through the pain his heart was inflicting upon him.

"Naomi… I love you… I didn't know what to do without you."

Naomi gasped, her eyes wide. A huge goofy smile quickly replaced the shock. "You idiot! I love you too!" Natsu cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. The two stood there in a perfect bliss until a voice pulled them back to reality.

"Hey, what about me?"

Natsu's eyes snapped to the location of the voice, and saw his silver and red-haired family member walking towards them. Mistogan and a man with black hair and white stripes in a suit that he'd never met before were walking besides her. Natsu stopped kissing Naomi and smiled at Kashi. "Kashi! You're back too!"

She nodded. "Only thanks to Mistogan."

Yells could be heard from behind them all. Erza led the group; they wanted to follow Natsu to see if he had truly found their guildmate. Everyone started cheering when they say Naomi and Kashi, safe and sound. Naomi was tackled by Erza, but her hand never let go of Natsu's so he ended up being wrangled into the hug as well. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'LL SHARE ALL OF MY CAKES FROM NOW ON, I PROMISE!" Erza yelled at Naomi, angry/happy tears building up in her eyes. Before Erza could get any kind of response, Gray pulled Naomi away and gave her a hug, too. Juvia was in the background, fuming, and yelling "LOVE RIVAL!" A group of guildmates surrounded Naomi as they waited to give one of their favorite guildmates a congratulatory hug for coming back home alive.

Makarov came out and greeted Kashi. "You will have to tell me all about your adventures. We have a lot to catch you up on as well." He looked at Kidd. "And who is this young lad?" Kashi smiled to her master. "Gramps, meet Death the Kidd. Kidd, meet Gramps. He's the master of the guild."

Kidd shook hands with the small man. "Nice to meet you."

Gramps looked him over. "So, are you going to join the guild?"

Kashi shook her head. "Oh no, Gramps. He's not from this world. I'll have to explain later. He will just tag along with me for now."

The master nodded. "Very well. I hope to see you again soon, Kidd."

As the master made his way back towards the guild, it became Kashi's turn to be attacked by guildmates. Natsu was first. "It's good to see you again, Auntie." Kashi smiled, tears forming again in her already teared-out green eyes. "Thanks, Natsu."

Kidd looked at the two, confusedly. "You're an aunt?"

Kashi and Natsu looked back at Kidd simultaneously saying "It's complicated." They then winked at each other before Natsu stepped back and let Mirajane give Kashi a hug. "I know you don't like hugs… but it will be nice having my favorite helper back!"

Kashi laughed. "Of course- you just missed my cleaning skills."

Elfman spoke up from behind Mirajane, crying. "You always did clean like a real man!"

People in the group began being pushed away as a particular orange-haired man pushed through the crowd. "I thought I heard my favorite guildmate!"

Kashi gasped. "Gildarts!" He opened his arms and Kashi jumped into them, receiving a hug from the man she rarely ever saw, but looked up to as a father.

More guildmates surrounded the two, and Naomi was once again hand-in-hand with Natsu, and the two were being pelted with questions and congratulations. Kidd stood back, left out and away from the drama. Mistogan stood next to him.

Kidd looked on with a frown at the sight before him. "I should be happy for them, but it just makes me remember I'll never get to see my friends again. Most importantly, my father might never know what really happened to me."

Mistogan kept his voice quiet. "There might be a way to get in contact."


	27. 26: Back to Normal

**Chapter 26**

 **"Back to Normal"**

 **Song: Pompeii, Bastille "If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"**

A few days after the group came back to Fiore, Master Makarov had pulled together an elaborate reunion party. Everyone showed up – even Gildarts; much to Kashi's excitement. Kashi and Naomi watched their guild mates dance and get drunk as they sat together at the bar and laughed at everyone's stupidity. They had missed these days; when parties were thrown seemingly every other day and everyone was happy. The only differences now are that Naomi and Natsu are a 'thing' that everyone calls Natsumi, and now this world had its very own grim reaper.

Natsu appeared from within the crowd and ran up to Naomi. "HEY! You need to try this new game we made up!"

Naomi rolled her eyes at her pink-haired boyfriend. "Is it barrel-surfing again?"

Natsu pouted. "Well, kinda – but now it's dancing while barrel surfing! And the next round requires pairs! Come on!" Natsu grabbed Naomi's wrist and pulled her off into the crowd with a huge idiotic smile on his face. With one last apologetic glance back to Kashi, she disappeared. Kashi could only laugh; that was Natsu for you.

Kashi glanced around. Kidd was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't blame him though; being away from his lifelong home without a way back was hard… she knew the pain twice in her lifetime. She wanted to be happy that the boy she's loved more than anyone else in either world is with her here, but it's hard to be happy when he must be suffering. She knew how he felt. When she fell into his world and was all alone without knowing if she could ever get home, it was exactly the same. Besides, she didn't know how he felt about her. For all she knew he could hate her guts and be keeping face. Although, he had held her hand, and wrapped his arms around her a few times, but her anxiety convinced her there was nothing between them.

She took a deep breath and sighed, laying her head down at the bar she was sitting at. Before too long the music and laughter drowned out, and Kashi was dropped into a memory.


	28. 27: Memories, Part 1

**Chapter 27**

 **"Memories, Part 1"**

 **Song: Wide Awake, Katy Perry "I wish I knew then, what I know now."**

Somewhere in Fiore a silvery white dragon with a red underbelly lay in the middle of a forest clearing. The great creature of legends had a pile of fruit next to her, of which she was eating. Squirrels came and fought over the pits of the fruit she threw away. The day began like any other – she was lounging around minding her own business while the birds chattered and her fellow dragons were off training dragon slayers. She was far too young to take on her own apprentice and bluntly didn't want to deal with humans anyways. Big Brother Igneel never went into detail about why they needed to train dragon slayers, nor why it was dire to do so immediately. That was a few years ago. She hadn't heard from him since.

On this day, however, a bright light surrounded the dragon. Before she could realize what was happening the light became blinding and lit up the forest. In a flash, the light disappeared and the dragon was gone. In its place lay a human girl. Sitting up, the girl saw her legs and scrunched her eyebrows, looking at her body. "How horrible! A human of all things…" She brushed her silvery white and red hair away from her face. She growled as she stood up feeling like an idiot walking on two legs. Without a moment to spare she headed towards Igneel's cave. Suddenly a voice called out behind her.

"Looks like we found a different kind of treasure, boss!"

The dragon girl turned around and faced the man, and next to him stood five other humans. They were all drooling over the naked girl before them.

She called out. "What do you want?"

The men laughed. "A good time with you is what we want!" The girl scrunched her nose and looked at them in disgust. She may have only been a ten-year-old who was previously a dragon, but she knew a pervert/pedophile when she saw one. The leader of the group was wearing a mask. "If you answer my questions I won't let them take you away as their new pet."

She nodded. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Do you know what caused that bright light just now?"

She shook her head. "No."

He crossed his arms. "Where's the dragon that lives in these woods?"

The girl hesitated because she thought nobody knew she lived there, but that was her mistake in this situation. The man chuckled and his men became confused. "What's so funny, boss?"

He pointed to the girl. "SHE is the dragon! She heard us coming and transformed into a human!" She girl scoffed; as if she would turn into a human on purpose. "Clever, but not clever enough! Take her, boys!"

The men only got a few steps in her direction before she fired an attack at them. "Dragon art: explosive fireball!" She took a deep breath and shot a ball of fire towards the men. When it hit the man in front it exploded, shooting debris and smoke into the air. Once the air cleared all five of the masked man's men were nowhere to be found. Only scraps of fabric littered the ground. The girl smirked as she started walking towards the remaining man.

"N-No! P-Please, don't kill me!"

She came closer, her green eyes burning with anger. The man backed up against a tree and cowered in fear, his unusually dark brown eyes pleading for his life. The girl wrapped her hands around his neck. "Did you do this to me?"

The man shook his head. She glared at him and let him go. As he was choking for breath, she crossed her arms and looked him over. "Give me your clothes."

As she was walking away, now wearing clothes too big for her, the naked man shakily spoke up. "May I ask what your name is, dragon of the forest?"

She turned around and looked at him, pondering the question. After much consideration, she answered. "Hatake Kashi. Younger sister of the almighty fire dragon, Igneel." And with that, she made her way towards the nearest town, in need of proper clothes and food for her journey to her brother's cave.

Before nightfall she found herself in Magnolia. She found a newspaper lying on the ground and picked it up. "7/7/X777" was the date. Insignificant at the time, but not soon forgotten. She walked through town until she came across a guild hall. Igneel had told her about these. It was pitch black outside and lights were visible from within. Slowly opening the door, she saw a girl with white hair wiping the tables. She looked up and greeted Kashi. "Hello! I'm just closing up for the night, did you need something?"

She stepped into the building and closed the door behind her. "Actually, yeah. I need some clothes and food, but I don't have any money or anything."

The girl giggled. "You'll just have to work for it!" She called over her shoulder. "MASTER, WE HAVE SOMEONE LOOKING TO JOIN!"

Kashi waved her hands at the girl. "Oh no no, I don't really have time to join a…" before she could protest any more a short, old man came down the stairs. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "So, you're the master here?"

The old man nodded. "Yes. Surprising, isn't it?" She slowly nodded, unsure if it was a question meant to be answered. "My name is Makarov, and you are?" She hesitated, and then answered. "Hatake Kashi, sir." He walked a circle around Kashi, looking her over. "You're pretty young. What is it you need?" She told the master she needed clothes and food but had no money to obtain them with. "I see…" He nodded slowly as if thinking. "You can work alongside Mirajane here. You'll stay in one of the rooms and work around the guild until you have paid off the clothes, housing and food expenses. How's that sound?" She frowned. Being a human for a long time didn't sound like fun.

"How long do you think it will take?" The master brought a hand to his chin, thinking. "Probably a month or two. Depends on how much you pull your weight around." He looked over at the girl, Mirajane. "She will be sure to keep you busy… if the boys destroy the guild again you could be out of here in a week." Kashi was reluctant, but nodded. "I guess that can work. I wanted to be on my way tonight, but my brother isn't going anywhere, so this should be fine." The Master smiled. "Great! Mira, get the stamper!"

Kashi looked at him with confusion. "The, stamper?" Mirajane ran over to the bar and pulled out a stamp and a few color palates. "In order to work here, you need to be a member of the guild, which means you need your own guild mark!" Mirajane lifted her skirt and pointed to her left thigh. "It will look like this, but in any color, size, and any place you want!"

"Oooh, I see." Kashi contemplated. "I would like it to be red, on my right shoulder please!" Mira smiled, and placed the stamp. It didn't even feel like it would stay on-one bath and it would fall off. "How often do I need to reapply this thing?"

Makarov and Mira laughed. "Never! This ink is imbued with magic, so it will only come off if you disband from Fairy Tail!" The dragon lady gave the two a 'not bad' face and then smiled. "You don't need to know what kind of magic I use, do you?" Makarov shook his head. "Nope! You won't be going on any missions, so I couldn't care less what magic you use." Mirajane looked at the master. "That was a little harsh, wasn't it?"

The master growled before heading back towards his room. "Mira! Show her the room she will be staying in and take her shopping first thing in the morning!"

"Yes, sir!"

~Time skip~

A few months had passed while Kashi worked at the guild. Master Makarov had lied about how long this job would last, not that she minded. Being human had its advantages, and Kashi found it quite enjoyable. Everybody had their own unique personalities and it was fun learning everyone's quirks. One word could send certain pairs fighting and others crying. Her favorite had to be this boy named Gray Fullbuster. He has ice maker magic and strips down to his underwear or worse-nothing- all the time. She had become close friends with a girl her age named Naomi Scarlet, sister to the infamously scary Erza Scarlet. She had Erza's red hair contrasted by deep blue eyes. She was very kind, but could also be the loudest in the room. Currently she was yelling at Gray to keep his clothes on.

Today would deem itself to be a life changer for Kashi. A young boy, probably a year younger than her, with bright pink spiky hair burst into the guild. The people within went silent. "Where's your Master?" Everyone laughed, except Kashi. _He smells familiar…_ Mirajane smiled as always and spoke up from behind the bar. "Are you looking to join the guild?" The boy nodded. He was brimming with determination. Master Makarov appeared before him, and the boy laughed. "You're the Master?" Master Makarov smacked him on his head. "What are you looking to do here, boy?"

"Become the strongest mage in Fiore so I can find my dragon Igneel!" Kashi's heart stopped. _Igneel?_ Makarov was serious. "Alright, what's your magic type?" Natsu clenched his fist and set it on fire. "I'm a fire dragon slayer!" Kashi looked on in disbelief and fear. _Fire dragon slayer? He really is Igneel's son! I should stay away from him._ Natsu got his guild mark and was bombarded with questions by the non-believers; while all Kashi could do was watch and listen. She saw Natsu sniffing around, and she knew he could tell there was another dragon scent.

Suddenly someone asked the question that Natsu's response would ultimately change Kashi's life. "So, where is your 'dragon' father?"

Natsu quieted down. Tears filled his little eyes as he clenched his fists. "I don't know. He just, disappeared. It was July 7th that it happened. I woke up and he was gone. My goal is to find him!"

Kashi clenched her shirt. "I'm stuck like this, aren't I?"

Mirajane overheard Kashi and saw how flushed she looked, and gazed at her with worry. "Kashi, you alright?"

The once-was dragoness took a shaky breath. "Uh, yeah. I think. I'm going to go lay down…" Mirajane nodded, concerned for her guildmate as she made her way into the infirmary and laid down on one of the beds. She wrapped the pillow around her head and fought back tears. "I'm only ten! Why is this happening to me?" She lay in silence for a while, contemplating what to do next. _Igneel probably got turned into a human then, too… I'll keep an eye on his son and hopefully we can become dragons again, together!_ It wasn't long before the stresses took their toll and Kashi fell asleep.


	29. 28: Memories, Part 2

**Chapter 28**

 **"Memories: Part 2"**

 **Song: No Way Out, Phil Collins "Brother bear, I've let you down..."**

"Yo, Naomi! Kashi!"

The two girls turned around to see Natsu and Happy with a mission in-hand. "We want to go on a mission, but it requires six members. Want to join us?!" The smiles on their faces were priceless. The two girls smiled at each other then back at the pink haired idiot. "Sure! Who else is coming?" Naomi asked.

"Me, Happy, you two, Erza, and Gray!"

Kashi nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

As Natsu ran off to tell Mirajane he had the requirements met to take the mission, Happy flew over to Naomi. "By the way, we're all staying at your house tonight!"

Her face lit up with confusion. "WHAT?!" With that the flying cat had left, and Naomi ran home to prepare for visitors. Kashi shook her head, and with that she headed home to pack a bag. Natsu was always inviting himself over to Naomi's house, so this wasn't any surprise.

Over the years of staying with the guild, Kashi had come to terms with the fact she might never become a dragon again. She watched as Natsu pursued every lead he found, only to find nothing every time. She never told Natsu who she was-instead became friends with him over time hoping that if she ever did turn back into a dragon, he would spare her. He was a dragon slayer, after all. She was afraid if he ever got too close to her he would remember her scent somehow, and call her out on her secret.

Night came fast, and the gang met at Naomi's house as planned. She had some snacks ready, as well as places to sleep, and had hid anything flammable. Erza was dead set on leaving at first light, so everyone got into their beds after a few words of action.

Kashi's dreams were filled with memories of being a dragon. Opening her wings, she took off from her forest home and flew out towards brother Igneel's cave. Her happy dream turned horrid as the landscape became charred and indistinguishable. Smoke filled her lungs as she spotted Igneel's cave. Upon entering the cave she saw Igneel standing there. His kind eyes seemed tired. "My…little…sister…" Igneel raised a paw to touch her, only to disintegrate within a whirlwind his own flames. His screams of pain filled the skies.

"IGNEEL!" Kashi screamed, sitting up out of bed. She was sweating, panting, and crying. She looked around quickly, and saw nobody else get up. She sighed and whispered "Thank goodness, I didn't wake anybody." She wiped the sweat and tears from her face and moved quietly into the kitchen. She sat on one of Naomi's barstools and stared blankly at the counter. A few minutes passed before a floorboard creaked behind her. She whipped her head around and saw Natsu.

"Oh, hi, Natsu…" She whispered. He nodded, and took the barstool next to hers. Natsu stayed quiet for a while before he spoke up. "You called out his name in your sleep." She looked at him in shock to see him scowling at her. She stayed silent before Natsu stood from his chair, glaring down at her. "How do you know Igneel?"

She sighed, and looked away from the angry dragon slayer. "Let's go outside, okay?" Natsu nodded, and the two of them crept outside without waking anybody. The two Fairy Tail members sat outside on Naomi's front steps. Natsu opened his mouth to demand answers again, but Kashi beat him to it.

"I didn't just know Igneel, okay?"

Natsu watched her with an unreadable expression. "So who was he to you?"

Kashi pondered if she should really tell him, and ultimately decided it was time to tell the truth. "My brother."

Natsu's heart skipped a beat, and you could almost hear his brain working. "But, how? You're not a dragon." He stated. Kashi nodded. "Sure, not anymore I'm not." Natsu scrunched his eyebrows as Kashi maintained a serious, stoic face, although tears slip down her cheeks.

"Look, I'm sorry. I should have told you, but I didn't want anyone to know."

Natsu kept quiet, focused on Kashi's every movement.

"I'm a dragon, Natsu."

Without warning he grabbed Kashi by the shoulders. She flinched, afraid of what he might say or do. "Where are the others?! Did they turn into humans, too?" She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. On July 7th, x777 I was turned into a human by some random flash of light. It wasn't until I overheard you talking about Igneel on your first day at the guild that I knew the others had disappeared."

Suddenly his anger turned to kindness as he wrapped Kashi in a tight hug. "That means you're the closest thing I have to Igneel now…" Kashi sat in the awkward embrace for a while before speaking up. "But you know, I'm not a dragon anymore. And, although I hate to say it, I've given up on finding the others."

Natsu pulled away and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "I can never give up on Igneel! Or the others!"

Kashi nodded. "I understand. But I also believe that things happen for a reason. I haven't found my reason yet, but I'm pretty sure I know what your reason is." Natsu folded his arms and gave her a weird face. "What are you talking about?"

"I think…" Kashi started "…that you were meant to make someone very happy. Igneel was the kindest dragon I knew, and you inherited that need for happiness and love from him." Natsu looked at her with a scowl. She continued. "And you found the person who makes you the happiest- she's in this house, and you know it." Natsu looked away with a blush rising up on his cheeks. She smirked. "You really need to tell her."

Natsu groaned. "Yeah, I know. Lucy said the same thing."

The two of them sat in silence looking off into the sky. His blush stayed on his face for a few minutes while pondering how to tell that special someone how he feels. "How about I tell her during the party a few days after we get back from this mission?"

Kashi nodded. "A plan's a good place to start, bud."


	30. 29: Confessions

**Chapter 29**

 **"Confessions"**

 **Song: I Won't Give Up, Jason Mraz "I don't want to be someone who walks away so easily… I'm here to stay… I'm giving you all my love."**

Kashi was torn from her memories as she heard someone call her name. She lifted her head from the counter and blinked back into reality. Looking to the side she saw the owner of the voice that had woke her up; it was Kidd. He stood there, looking at her with curiosity in his eyes and his lips turned in a frown. "Were you daydreaming again?" She smiled at the young reaper. "Yeah, sorry." She rubbed her eyes and he just stared at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but when the microphone randomly squealed Kashi turned her attention to the stage only to see Gajeel preparing to perform.

She chuckled and turned back to Kidd, who was looking off to the side with a serious expression. She looked at him with a look of worry. "Hey, sorry, were you going to say something?" He turned back to Kashi, his expression once again unreadable as usual. He straightened his suit and nodded. "Actually, yes. It's quite important, could we move somewhere quieter?" She nodded and answered. "Of course! Gajeel's singing is awful anyway-let's go outside." Without another word the reaper led the red and white haired girl out the back door of the guild. He shut the door behind them; the loud music and voices from within now muffled and quiet. Kashi leaned up against the side of the building and turned to Kidd.

"You don't pull me aside very often, what's wrong?"

Kidd stayed silent for a moment. "Nothing's wrong, I've just...damnit." Kashi watched in confusion as Kidd turned his back towards her, crossing his arms and looking off into the distance. Kashi moved towards Kidd, reaching out to him, hesitating whether or not to place a hand on his shoulder.

Deciding against it, she folded her hands together in front of her and silently watched the asymmetrical reaper as he stood there; knowing that sometimes the best thing for Kidd is some time and space. A good eight minutes passed like this. Suddenly Kidd turned towards Kashi, determination and doubt both shone through his intense golden gaze. Their eyes locked, and Kashi stayed quiet, signaling for him to talk.

He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I learned some valuable information today and there is good and bad news." Kashi nodded slowly. She had no idea what he could be talking about. "I had a theory. And the good news is that while testing that theory I found that calling my father works on the mirrors in this world as well." Kashi's eyes went wide, and she smiled, about to congratulate him, but he continued before she had the chance. "I asked him if he knew anything about this world, and if there was a way to get back." Her heart skipped a beat, sinking down to her stomach. "And the bad news is that he said there is a way, but it would require so much soul power on his part that he would only do it once. So basically, if I were to return home, there would be no way to come back to this world."

Kashi's heart grew heavy, and a lump formed in her throat. Her smile disappeared. "That's, um… That's great, Kidd." She broke her gaze with him as tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to trail down her face. She hoped her hair hid her facial expression from him. "You'll go home then, right?"

Kidd placed his hands on Kashi's shoulders and leaned close to her, his lips by her ear. "Father told me I could take you with me." Kashi looked up to meet Kidd's concerned eyes with her tear-filled ones. She only muttered a "But…" before Kidd put a finger to her lips, shushing her. "Listen, Kashi…"

He stepped away and looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I know we are, literally, the worst possible pairing ever: I'm overly obsessive over shit that doesn't matter, I miss half of the nice things you do for me which hurts you…" He glanced at Kashi, who was looking down at her feet, listening intently. "You can be depressed a lot, and my bluntness doesn't help. You can want a hug and want to be alone at the same time and I'm still not sure how to deal with that." He watched as Kashi slowly lifted her head and looked at him, her teary eyes filling him with determination. "And worst of all I know how much attention and feedback you need from others to feel needed, and I don't even come close to giving you half of that, but…" Kashi felt her heart racing, making her dizzy. It was almost impossible to hear Kidd over the heartbeat in her ears. "I can't imagine my life without you in it." His golden eyes froze Kashi in place, unable to speak or move. The lump in her throat grew bigger, the tears slid down her cheeks, and her legs went weak as she helplessly tried to prepare herself for the words she hoped were coming. Those words she dreamed of hearing.

Kidd wrapped the crying girl in a tight hug. "Kashi. I love you." She broke down, sobbing into his shirt as she hugged him back even tighter. As she cried, he smiled. "I want to be wherever you are. Therefore, if you would rather stay here, then so do I." The girl's grip on the boy tightened as her crying intensified. As he laid his head on hers she managed to speak a sentence between sobs.

"Thank you! Thank you…. I love you too!" Kidd felt his heart skip a beat hearing those words. Not wanting him to leave is one thing, but actually hearing those words filled him with a warm feeling. They stood there for a while, and when the two finally pulled away from each other the only thing they could do was smile. Kidd reached up and brushed some hair out of Kashi's face and looked into her bright green eyes that he had come to love so much. "I never thought I'd be able to…you know…just, hold you like this." Kashi's face burned bright red as Kidd looked down at her with those golden eyes of his. He smirked as he found Kashi at a loss for words. He leaned forward, touching his lips to her forehead in a light kiss. Kashi brought her hands to her face in an attempt to cover her worsening blush and couldn't help but giggle. Kidd stifled a laugh. "You're so beautiful." She glared at him from between two fingers. "My face is going to be stuck like this because of you…" They both laughed and headed back into the guild hand-in-hand. Even Kidd's face had a distinguishable blush on it. The two of them looked around trying to get rid of their nerves and blushes. Mirajane was the first to see them coming back, and her smile widened into a smirk.

Kashi saw her and quickly let go of Kidd's hand and ran over to her, cupping her hands over Mira's mouth. She tried hard to glare at her and keep a serious face, but could only smile. "Shut your mouth, Mira!" She removed her hand and Mira giggled. "You were holding hands!" One of the guys at the bar overheard and smirked before yelling out the words "Kidd and Kashi sitting in a tree!"

Kidd stood back in the corner and watched as Kashi became flustered and tried her hardest to stop them from speaking. "No no! Shut up! Don't you dare!" Within a few seconds the rumor had already spread throughout the guild.

"Kidd and Kashi?"

"I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

"Kidd and Kashi!"

"The new guy and our Kashi?"

"Ohhh yeah!"

Kashi's entire face was redder than a tomato, and Kidd couldn't help but just laugh at her expression. As the crowd started cheering, Naomi could be seen sitting on Natsu's shoulders in the distance. She yelled from across the room. "YEAH I DID IT! IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Then Gildarts came out of nowhere and glared at Kidd. "You'd better take care of my favorite guild mate, got it?" Kashi's face suddenly drained as she lost consciousness and fell to the floor. The people began laughing, Mirajane looked down at her friend with a devilish grin, and Kidd could only facepalm.

What a way to let the cat out of the bag.

Kidd sighed as everyone went back to what they were doing as Mirajane had Elfman carry Kashi back into the infirmary to lay down until she came back to the living. Kidd sat next to her until she woke up, which was only a few minutes. She saw him and blushed again. "Oh gosh, I passed out didn't I?"

Kidd smiled and nodded. "Sure did."

Kashi smiled. "I hate crowds." Kidd took her hand in his. She looked at him playfully and chuckled. "You basically have to marry me now or Gildarts will kill you."

Kidd looked down at her with a serious expression. "I fully intended to anyway."

Kashi's smile disappeared as the words clicked. "Wait, what?"

Kidd showed her a soft smile. "I had planned on marrying you if you'd let me." Kashi's blush worsened and she smiled like an idiot and bit her lip as Kidd began blushing himself. "So, will you marry me someday, Kashi?"

The girl sat up and tightened her grip on his hand. With a deepening blush she pulled him close and smiled. "But you haven't even kissed me yet."

Kidd closed the gap with a kiss on the lips. In the middle of their first intimate moment, a click was heard. The two looked over and saw Naomi and Natsu snapping a picture with a camera. Kashi squealed, covering her blushing face with her hands, and Kidd got up and pushed the intruders out of the room. He returned to Kashi's side and smiled, his face inches away from hers. "How about now?"

Kashi giggled. "Yeah, I'll marry you... Just ask me properly someday, okay?"


	31. 30: Group Mission

**Chapter 30**

 **"Group Mission"**

 **Song: Afternoon of Konoha, Naruto OST**

Months had passed since Naomi and Kashi returned to their homes in Magnolia with Death the Kidd in tow. Everything had calmed down to its original state and people resumed their normal functions. Most notably, Gildarts left without a word the morning after the reunion party (and has yet to be heard from since), Erza no longer shares her cake willingly with her sister, Natsu and Gray have single-handedly destroyed the guild hall a total of five times, and Lucy still walks into her apartment to see random visitors even when she replaces the locks twice a week.

Deep blue eyes studied the bulletin board in front of them. A small hand pushed a red strand of hair back behind the owner's ear as she read and re-read the missions available for the group. It had been on everyone's wish list the last few months to go on a huge group mission, and Naomi had taken it upon herself to scour the board first thing every morning to check for all the new missions, looking for one they all could participate in. "They" being herself, Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Kashi, Kidd, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel, with Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily, respectively. Most missions only needed one or two mages…and this proved to be their biggest obstacle in finding a mission. Then, if a job could use more than the usual two, most often the pay wasn't good enough for the fourteen of them to split.

So there she was, same as every morning, looking over all the new missions. And as usual, there was nothing new that caught her eye; not even for personal missions. She was going broke, and needed some cash by the end of the month, but absolutely nothing looked to be worth even half the effort required for the pay. With a loud sigh, Naomi drug her feet over to the bar, where Mirajane was wiping off glasses in preparation of the early-bird drinkers. Mirajane smiled at the discouraged girl. "Still nothing?"

Naomi nodded, exaggerating every movement. "Absolutely. Nothing. Can't there be a really famous burglar or something for us to go kill? Finding a mission shouldn't be this hard." Naomi dropped her head onto the bar with a thud. She heard a book slam on the counter as Mirajane broke out her book of missions. Lifting her head, she saw her flipping through the pages.

"It just so happens that I hid this mission away for you— it's asking for ten or more mages from Fairy Tail to investigate an extremely large creature. Best of all the pay will give each of you 500k each." Mira passed the flimsy piece of parchment to Naomi, who grabbed it up with eager hands. After a minute of reading her eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face. "Mira, this is perfect! Can we take it?!" Mirajane nodded. "Of course you can! I saved it specially for you!" Before Mira could finish her sentence, Naomi was running towards the guild hall's main swinging doors, yelling an excited "Thank you!" behind her as she vanished into the morning fog.

~One day later~

Naomi proudly sat down in front of Erza, placing the mission in front of her on the table. "Take a look – it's perfect!" Natsu and Gray, already rounded up by the excitable red-head, butted heads and exclaimed challenges in the background. They were ready to go, or so they claimed, and were blowing off some steam in anticipation. Now Erza took the yellowed parchment and began looking it over, reading every faded word she could make out. "You realize this mission is fifteen years old?" Naomi's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh? Well it must be important if it's still in the system, yeah?" Titania sighed. "Of course the three of you read it and didn't even notice…" Gajeel yelled from across the room. "Hey! I read it too!"

Erza just rolled her eyes and read it over again, this time reading aloud the new handwritten script on the bottom. "As of (last week) this issue has resurfaced and is causing more trouble than years prior. We will triple the reward for anyone who can stop the beast before the end of the month." Natsu ran over, eyes wide, smiling from ear to ear. "Triple the reward?! We'd better get going!" Natsu and Gray took a step towards the door, only to be held back by Lucy's firm grip on their clothing (surprisingly Gray had some on still…). "Hey hey! Wait a minute you two; you aren't going anywhere. All of us still need to pack and Kashi hasn't even heard about it yet!"

A voice made itself heard from behind the group. "What about me?"

"KASHIII!" Natsu yelled. "We finally found a mission we can all go on as a group! It's fifteen years old and the payout is TRIPLE if we go RIGHT NOW so LET'S GO!" Natsu grabbed Kashi's hood and started dragging her back from the door she just came from, but was stopped once again by Lucy's firm grasp. "Hold up. She needs to get the details first, calm down." Natsu dropped to the floor and started crying as soon as Lucy let go of his shirt. Kashi flipped her hood back over her head and took a seat nearest Kidd. "You guys are lucky I'm even here today- I wasn't planning on getting out of bed. I…" Naomi cut her off. "Just got back from a mission, we know! Thanks for TELLING ME." Naomi fake-pouted, and Kashi lifted a corner of her mouth in a half-smile. "I'm sorry? I never think to tell you because I let Natsu know and figured he would tell you if you were wondering."

Naomi nodded. "So it's NATUS FAULT!" Kashi giggled. "Yeah. I used to only tell Natsu where I was going, but once I made the mistake of not letting Kidd know where I was, which was at home, by the way, and after two days of not hearing from me he broke my door down and trashed the place looking for me! I was sleeping. "

Everyone laughed as Kashi flashed a warm smile in Kidd's direction, to which Kidd reacted with a bright red blush instantly flashing across his cheeks, and he pretended like he didn't hear a word she said. "I thought I was overprotective but he takes it to another level." Kidd continued to stare out the window, trying and failing horribly to mask his embarrassment. She wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug (a very rare display of affection) and turned her attention back to her friend.

"So what's this mission?" Naomi started explaining how the request was fifteen years old, and that the small town they would be visiting has apparently had problems with a dragon. Everyone chuckled at the statement; everyone except the dragon slayers and Kashi. She held her tongue, and held her hand out for the mission. Naomi continued to speak, mostly speculation about what the real threat might be, but it all went unheard by Kashi as her face was wiped of color as she read the words on the paper before her. "WANTED: HEAD OF THE FOREST DRAGON" She continued to read. The description stated that a red and white dragon had been spotted nearby, and was suspected of stealing food and destroying weaponry buildings within the small town. The note at the bottom said the problem had ceased, but returned suddenly. Who on earth would want to bring this up? And who could be the cause behind it now? It certainly wasn't Kashi, she wasn't even a dragon anymore…

All of these thoughts and more raced through her mind as she looked over the paper before her. What were the chances that she would be on a mission to kill herself?! A voice calling her name cut through her thoughts. Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the disbelieving page, her eyes landed on Kidd, who gazed at her worriedly. "Kashi!" She blinked, confused. "Huh? What?" His eyes softened with concern. "Are you okay?" It was in this moment she realized she felt cold- her face was white and her hands were shaking. Setting down the mission she forced a smile. "Oh, yeah, I haven't eaten yet today, that's all." Kidd took a deep breath, deciding whether or not to push her for the truth. As he sighed he decided now was not the time, and let it go. "Well, let's get you home to pack for the mission, and while you're doing that I'll make you something to eat, okay?" Kashi genuinely smiled this time, feeling guilty for lying to her boyfriend. "Yeah, sounds great."

Naomi fangirled. "I still love you two so much!" Erza pushed her little sister out of the way. "We're planning the mission to take at least a month- so pack accordingly." She looked around to make sure everyone was listening. "Be back here and ready to leave at six! We should get a few miles in before the sun sets." Everyone nodded, and with a quick nod from Erza everyone made their separate ways towards their houses to pack. Natsu sat on the floor, pouting as Naomi tried to drag him home with her. "WE NEED TO PACK NATSU!" "BUT I'M READY TO GO NOOW! I DON'T WANNA WAIT UNTIL SIX!" Happy sat on Naomi's head, also pouting. "There's no fish at home!" Naomi fumed. "I WILL GET YOU SOME FISH IF YOU JUST MOVE IT!" Kidd and Kashi shook their heads at their friends, and with a quick glance at each other, decided to simply leave without them.

~At Kashi's House~

Kashi's green eyes filled with worry as she packed for the mission. She felt herself getting sick… what if someone found out about her? Surely they wouldn't continue to allow a dragon as a member of the guild? And Kidd… what would he say? Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tried to push her worries out of her mind and focus on packing. "A month sure is a long time…" She whispered to herself. Kidd knocked on the door to her room to catch her attention. She looked up to see him smiling. "Food's done." Kashi smiled, glad to have a break from her packing. She stood up from her spot on the floor and tiptoed around her piles to follow Kidd into the dining room. He pulled out a seat for her, and after pushing her seat back in once she sat, he took the seat across from her. Kidd had made homemade chicken noodle soup- his specialty and Kashi's favorite. Her eyes gleamed as she deeply inhaled the flavorful steam coming off the bowl sitting in front of her. "Thank you so much, Kidd! It smells so good…" He smiled. "You're very welcome." The two of them started eating their bowls of soup in silence before Kidd decided trying to coax the truth out of Kashi again. "I'd like it if you told me the truth, you know." Kashi looked up from her bowl, confusion written all over her face. "What? About the soup? I'm not Kidding when I say it's my favorite …" He shook his head, golden eyes clouded with worry. "Not about the soup, Kashi." His instincts confirmed his suspicions as his love's eyes darkened and glanced away from his golden ones. "Are you sure you're okay? You looked like you'd seen a ghost when you read the mission flyer and I'd like to know why." She picked at her soup and avoided eye contact. "Please?"

Kashi opened her mouth to speak, but the truthful words she wanted to come out refused to budge. The fears of being rejected rose within her, and didn't see a reason why he ever had to know. "I can't."

Kidd was taken aback… Kashi had never NOT told him something that had been bothering her if he'd confronted her about it… She spoke back up before he could reply. "It's something from my past that won't benefit anybody if it was to be spoken of." Kashi's eyes watered; she hated lying to him. Until this day, she had only lied to him on a few occasions, usually for surprises or to avoid a symmetry conflict, but nothing serious like this. She blinked away what tears she could, before looking back up at him, his eyes soft and caring. "I'm sorry." Kidd reached out a hand and took one of Kashi's in his own. "I understand. Some things are better left buried. I get it." He got up to take his dish to the sink. Without looking back, he added: "I hope I'll have the privilege of digging it back up with you someday."

Kashi abandoned her bowl of soup, and quietly moved into the bathroom, where she closed the door and sobbed quietly in front of the mirror. She was sure he felt like she didn't trust him, and was obviously hurt to be kept in the dark. She hated herself for it. But she just couldn't tell him. Not now, not ever.

In the kitchen, Kidd washed his dish before going back out to see if Kashi wanted any more. To his surprise, she wasn't there. And her bowl was still half-full. He sighed, hoping he hadn't stepped too far. All he wanted was for her to feel comfortable with the details of her past- he didn't want her to bear those burdens alone anymore. Maybe if she could get the courage to tell him, she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. He wanted her to know that he was there for her; no matter what. He was debating whether or not to leave the bowl for her when she exited from the bathroom, black hood covering her face. She headed straight for her room, when Kidd broke her stride. "Hey, Kashi?"

She stopped without a word, and tilted her head in his direction. He still couldn't see her face to get an idea of what she was thinking. "I love you."

She turned her head towards him so he could see the faint smile on her face. "I love you too. I'm going to finish packing." As she retreated back into her room, Kidd stood there, wondering. He could have sworn he saw tears on her face, and it took a lot to make his girl cry. In fact, she hadn't cried since the day he unofficially proposed to her. He knew something was going on, and knew that maybe this mission wasn't such a good idea after all…

-Natsu and Naomi's Place-

Naomi packed Natsu's things along with hers, knowing he wouldn't keep track of it himself. Natsu and Happy sat in the kitchen, cooking and eating fish, watching Naomi packing their things. "Why do we need so much stuff?" Happy mumbled between bites. "Because we will be gone for a month, maybe more. And you never know when you might need something." Natsu groaned. "But still… we have to carry that the whole way to the tavern, and that's like, a week's walk. And then back!" Naomi glared back at the boys. "Hey. I'm a light packer… consider yourself lucky! You could be travelling with Erza, remember…" Natsu and Happy shuddered as they thought about pulling the ginormous cart overfilled with suitcases and boxes that Erza insisted had "everything she needed" in them for her travels. "Nevermind, I'll take the suitcase…" Naomi chuckled. "I thought so."

As Naomi packed the rest of their necessary items into the suitcase, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread about the mission. "Hey Natsu… do you think this mission is a good idea?"

Natsu nodded, biting into a fish he just flambéed with his own hands. "Why not? It sounds awesome, and anything that might possibly involve dragons is something I need to check out!" Naomi sighed. "I guess; I just have a really bad feeling about all this." Natsu grinned goofily at Naomi, his onyx eyes sparkling. "As long as I'm with you, nothing can go wrong!" Naomi scoffed. "More like everything will go wrong thanks to you…" Natsu pouted. "Hey, that's mean." Naomi got up and ruffled his spiky pink hair. "You promise you'll protect me?" Natsu stood up, twisting around in Naomi's arms, and kissed her on the forehead. "You Kiddin? Of course I will!"

Then Naomi squinted and gazed into Natus's eyes. "And you'll promise you won't get into any bad situations?" Natsu grinned. "I'm a dragon slayer, it's an occupational hazard!" Naomi laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is." Natsu hugged his girl tightly, his head placed atop her own. His voice quieted. "I will always do whatever it takes to make sure you get home safely; with or without me." Naomi's smile faded, and she lay her head on Natsu's chest. "There is no home without you in it, Natsu." Natsu lifted Naomi's head and gazed into her deep blue eyes. "I love you." Naomi's smile returned. "I love you too."

The two lovebirds leaned in for a passionate kiss. Their lips barely brushed together when a voice startled them apart.

"You guys always forget that I'm here."

The two looked back at the table where Happy stood there, surrounded by fish bones. "You're gunna make me puke." The two laughed and proceeded to tackle Happy, tickling him into submission. "Alright alright! I'll leave!"

Natsu and Naomi thanked Happy as he opened the window and flew off, leaving themselves alone together in Natsu's house. Natsu smirked at Naomi. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Naomi smirked back, her cheeks turning red. "What could you possibly be talking about?" Natsu thought fast and picked up Naomi and threw her over his shoulder, a playful shriek escaping Naomi's lips. "NATSU! What are you doing?"

"The princess needs to be punished for leaving the castle!" Naomi laughed uncontrollably as Natsu brought her into the bedroom, roaring like a dragon.

They weren't going to finish packing on time.

-5:30pm back at the Guild Hall-

Kidd and Kashi sat together; Kashi's bulging backpack sitting on the table and Kidd's suitcase sitting next to him. Kidd was ranting about how he didn't have two toothbrushes to make his packing symmetrical, Kashi was trying to calm him down, and Happy was sitting on Kashi's head; laughing at her significant other's OCD issues.

Erza had parked her cart in the hallway of the guild hall so everyone had to walk around it to get anywhere. She was proud to have packed all her things in just a few short hours, but everyone else was pissed that she brought it into the guild. Her excuse was that she couldn't keep an eye on it if it was outside.

Gajeel and Levy came in sharing a suitcase and took a seat across from the pair. Gajeel was confused and asked Kidd why he needed everything to be symmetrical. Kashi and Levy looked at him with wide eyes, and before they could exclaim how bad of an idea it was to ask him that, Kidd's eyes sparkled and he started explaining how symmetry is key, and there is no point to life without symmetry, blah blah blah. Kashi and Levy watched in amusement as Gajeel's eyes slowly started to show fear; he was realizing just how horrible of a mistake he had made in asking that question. The two of them left Gajeel to deal with his consequences and joined Erza at the other end of the table. As they sat down they were joined by Wendy who was dragging a little rolling suitcase, Lucy right behind her, and the exceeds. Happy, who was sitting on Lucy's head, explained that he "couldn't be at home right now" and that Natsu and Naomi would be here soon. Hopefully. All the exceeds had little backpacks with their items in them; Happy's was filled with mostly fish. Pleasantries were exchanged just as Juvia and Gray walked in together; Juvia's eyes were hearts for Gray had insisted on taking her suitcase for her, claiming he "just didn't want Leon to come around and steal her stuff."

Gajeel was seen walking around the guild trying to break away from Kidd's ramblings, but Kidd followed him; his speech not yet complete. Gray overheard the conversation and made the mistake of exclaiming "symmetry was stupid" out loud, which broke Gajeel free from Kidd's attention, but now blazing golden eyes were fixed on himself, and he ran as fast as he could before Kidd could catch him. Everyone watched Kidd chase around Gray for a good five minutes before Gray oh-so kindly pointed out that Kidd wasn't even symmetrical, which left him in a ball on the floor sobbing, saying that he was "asymmetrical garbage." Juvia scolded Gray for his words and Kashi sighed. "Now I have to fix him!"

Kashi rubbed Kidd's back and spoke sweet nothings in his ear to try and bring him back to the real world. Meanwhile, the clock struck six, and Erza jumped out of her chair. "It's time! Let's head out." Wendy rose her hand. "Um, Miss Erza, Natsu and Naomi still aren't here." The veins in Erza's head popped in anger. "I told them to be here at six! Where are they?!"

As on cue, Natsu and Naomi burst through the guild doors, dragging behind them their individual suitcases. "SORRY WE'RE LATE!" They both yelled as they collapsed to the floor, out of breath and sweaty from their run over.

Erza glared down at them with the fury of hell itself. "What took you so long?"

Naomi's already red face concealed her blush. "We got distracted."

Natsu cowered behind Naomi, avoiding Erza's death glare. "We'll buy you one of your favorite cakes when we get back?"

Erza's glare softened, and after a long pause she sighed. "Alright. I forgive you."

Naomi and Natsu breathed a sigh of relief, and after catching their breath everyone exited out of the guild with their packs and headed towards their destination.

The Red Village, located within the Red Dragon's Forest.


	32. 31: Assumptions

**Chapter 31**

 **"Assumptions"**

 **Song: Never Going to be Alone, Nickelback "I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you."**

The large group had been travelling for three days now. It was mid-day and the sun was beating down harder than it had in the last two days. Wendy and the exceeds found places to lie down and take a nap on Erza's cart, while everyone else was trudging along trying not to collapse. They were headed up a big hill, and it seemed to go on forever.

Naomi was dragging Natsu through the dirt; apparently he was too tired to walk anymore. Kashi refused to admit that she was hot, and carried her backpack, even though everyone else had gotten permission from Erza to use her cart in exchange for cakes when they got home. Kidd walked behind her, every half hour or so asking her if she was sure she didn't want to hand it over. Levy sat on Gajeel's shoulders, blushing yet thankful for the ride. He said that she was "too puny to walk in this heat." Lucy had long since called for Horologium to carry her, which was unfair since he offers air conditioning to his riders.

Kidd unclipped a water bottle that had been hanging from his belt loop and unscrewed the cap to take a drink. He tilted the bottle towards the sky, and a mere drop touched his tongue. "How wonderful. I'm out of water." Kashi slipped her bottle out of a pocket on her backpack and shook it, listening for any contents. "I'm out too." Levy looked towards Wendy, and she sleepily dug through Gajeel and Levy's pack. "Levy's empty, Gajeel's empty…" She then turned and dug through Gray's pack, and Juvia's suitcase, and Lucy's suitcase. "Gray, you've got some ice, Juvia's out, aaand, Lucy, you're out too." Lucy's mouth moved, and Horologium spoke for her. "'Oh great' she says sarcastically. 'What are we going to do without any water?!' she yells in a loud, distressed voice." Erza glances back at everyone. "According to my map, we should be coming upon a small set-aside with a creek running through it. We can rest and refill our bottles there." Kashi sighed. "How much longer do you think it will take?"

Erza stopped and took out her map for consulting. Everyone gathered around to look at it. "Right over this hill." Natsu groaned. "What do you mean right over this hill? Do we have to go all the way down it too?!" Gajeel walked a few steps, and coughed. "Hey, she wasn't kiddin'. It's right over the hill." Erza pulled her cart forward, and immediately at the top of the hill, the forested area started, and you could even hear the stream running. "WATER!" Wendy, Carla and Lucy yelled, and started running. Gajeel set Levy down and she joined the girls in their sprint for the cool waters. Juvia had to be carried by Gray to the creek, for she was dehydrated and couldn't move anymore. Lucy let Horologium go back to the celestial spirit world, and stretched. "Man a bath will feel amazing after getting' all hot and sweaty!" Naomi nodded. "You bet it will!" Kashi helped Erza stop the wheels of her cart as soon as it was fully covered by the tree's forgiving shade. Kidd found a clover patch and laid down. "I'm going to take a nap, if that's okay with everyone?" Kashi opened her mouth to answer him, but he was already fast asleep and snoring lightly. She chuckled. "He isn't even laying down symmetrically. He must be really tired." A yawn overcame her, and she shook her head. "Guess I am, too."

Erza checked on her tie-downs one by one. "Natsu, do you want to climb on top to get out our lunch picnic?" Looking around, Natsu was nowhere to be found. "Natsu?" A few seconds later feminine screams were heard from nearby, followed by two loud manly screams of pain. Natsu and Gray emerged from the bushes with huge goose-eggs on their heads. "Apparently we can't bathe with them…" Erza and Kashi shook their heads at the two perverts.

Gray took a spot next to Kidd, and fell asleep pretty quickly too. Gajeel took a seat up in a tree. Natsu started digging for the food, and Erza sighed, catching Kashi's attention. "The cart's good to go. I'm going to go hop in the creek with the other girls. Are you going to come too?"

Kashi took a deep breath, the thought of a cool bath in this hot weather made her shiver. "Yeah, I'll be right with you. I need to talk to Natsu first." Erza nodded. "Very well. See you in a little bit." She took half of the packs and suitcases with her. "They might need these when they get out." She smirked. Kashi giggled. "It would be fun to see them streaking, though."

Erza chuckled. "Bring the other half for us, will you?" Kashi nodded, and she watched as Erza disappeared through the bushes. She turned her attention to Natsu, whose pink hair was ruffled and messy from digging through the container of food. He set the edibles down on a rock nearest Gray…it was hotdogs with buns for lunch today. Kashi tucked a red strand of hair back behind her ear that had fallen out of her bun. "Hey, Natsu, can I talk to you for a second?" Natsu looked up at her with curiosity and a smile. "Sure. What is it?" She gestured him to follow her, and the two of them walked a few yards away until they were out earshot. Worry clouded Kashi's green eyes and Natsu's spiked smile faded, picking up on the serious tone. "What's up?"

Looking back at her sleeping boyfriend, Kashi sighed. "This mission… it's about me."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Kashi looked around her in paranoia. Lowering her voice to an annoyed whisper, she continued. "Natsu, _I_ was the Red Forest Dragon!"

Natsu's onyx eyes widened. "Wait, then how has there been more recent sightings?"

Kashi shook her head, eyes still glancing around for unwanted listeners. "I don't know. I'm hoping we can find out without blowing my cover…" Natsu scrunched his eyebrows. "What cover?" Kashi took a deep breath, feeling a rant coming. "Would the guild really accept me if they knew I was really a f*cking DRAGON Natsu?! I don't think they allow dragons to join a guild! And Kidd… I have no idea what he would think… and I can't lose him and…" Tears came to her eyes thinking about the possibility of her life turning upside down for the fourth time in her life. Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders. "Hey. Calm down. We've been through this… I won't tell anybody… as far as anyone's concerned, dragons are extinct, and nobody would think that one could turn into a human. Your secret is safe, Kashi." Natsu spread his lips into a wide toothy grin that calmed her heart. "Besides, nobody knows my Aunt to be a crier!" Kashi laughed, a tear escaping down her cheek. Wiping it off with the back of her hand, she shook her head. "I'm the biggest crybaby you know, Natsu." He laughed. "Yeah, but ain't nobody knows that but me!" She nodded, and Natsu wrapped his arms around her in a big comforting hug. Even though she isn't much of a hugger, she hugged back. "Now go take a bath before you invoke the wrath of the Celestial Spirit King with your stench."

Kashi hit him on the shoulder as she pulled away from his hug, smiling like an idiot. "Shut up, jerk. You smell twice as bad." She walked towards the pile of suitcases and packs that she needed to bring with her to the creek. Natsu took a seat next to Gray. "Nuh-uh. You're totally worst." Kashi disappeared behind the bushes. "It's 'worse', stupid."

Natsu chuckled and made himself a hotdog. He ate in silence, waiting for his turn in the creek, wondering what Naomi was doing with the other girls right now.

~Kidd's POV~

He hadn't been sleeping for long when Kidd heard Kashi's voice in a low whisper. Moving his eyeballs behind his eyelids, he pondered who she was talking to. Natsu? It sounded like it. He cracked open an eyelid just a sliver, so his golden orb could scan his surroundings. A few yards away he saw Kashi with Natsu. Between Gray's snoring he was able to pick out some phrases.

"…without blowing my cover."

"…what cover?"

"…Kidd… I have no idea what he would think… I can't lose him…"

Kashi sounded like she was going to cry again.

 _What could she possibly be hiding from me?_

"Calm down… I won't tell anybody… secret's safe…"

Secret? What secret could she be hiding? And why was it such a concern to keep it from me?

The wheels in Kidd's head started turning, and piecing together puzzle pieces. His heart skipped a beat and almost sat bolt upright when it hit him. _Is she pregnant?!_

It all made sense. She didn't want to tell him, so she made up a lie about her past to buy time. And the crying in the bathroom- nothing more than hormones! The way she was acting weird that morning in the guild was probably just morning sickness! And she couldn't finish her soup because her taste buds were changing because of the baby…

Or babies?

 _Oh crap…_ Kidd thought to himself. _Am I ready to be a father? I don't know… I guess I have to be. I can't let Kashi down… she must be terrified! How can I coax the truth out of her? Why is she on a dangerous mission if she's carrying precious, possibly symmetrical cargo?! I've never had any experience with children… I don't know what to do! We aren't even officially engaged like Natsu and Naomi are. What if there's more than one?_

Thoughts flew through Kidd's mind, and he forgot to listen in to the rest of their conversation. Next he heard was Kashi insulting Natsu. "You smell twice as bad." Kashi walked inches past Kidd's head and picked up the rest of the clothing for the girls. Natsu took a seat next to Gray. "Nuh-uh. You're totally worst." He heard the bushes rustle as Kashi headed for the creek. "It's 'worse', stupid."

Kidd's heart was beating so hard he was afraid Natsu would be able to hear him. He heard Natsu chuckle before he started eating something. Whatever Erza had him take out for lunch. The only sound was birds chirping in the foliage above.

Kidd pretended to sleep until it was their turn to go take a dip in the creek.

~In the creek with the Ladies~

Kashi self-consciously stripped down behind a boulder before sneaking into the creek with the other ladies. Erza smiled. "Kashi. Glad you could finally join us."

Kashi nervously hid herself. "Eh, yeah. Sorry about the wait. I brought the rest of everyone's clothes." Lucy wrapped an arm around Kashi, releasing a squeak of surprise from the poor silver-haired girl. "It's been a long time since we've shared a bath!" Erza nodded. "Yes, a very long time." Kashi squirmed out from Lucy's grasp. "It's because I don't like group bathing, thank you very much." Wendy nodded. "Me neither. It makes me feel so…small." Juvia smiled at Wendy. "Juvia knows you will grow into a beautiful woman someday." Levy shrunk half her face under the water to hide her deep blush. "Juvia thinks Levy is a beautiful woman too." Levy retreated the rest of the way underwater. Naomi scoffed. "Boobs are difficult. I hate them. I envy Levy." Everyone laughed, and then Lucy turned back to Kashi. "So, what's the secret?"

Kashi blushed, looking at Lucy with confusion. "W-what do you mean?"

Naomi butted in. "You were talking with Natsu for a long time- what's the big deal?"

Kashi stuttered. "N-nothing important. Just something I thought of I had forgot to mention earlier."

Wendy pitched in the interrogation. "Like what?"

Happy swam over to Kashi. "Oooohh Kashi has a secret…"

Levy smirked. "What if she's pregnant?"

Kashi's face flushed of its color, including the blush she knew might never go away. "WHAT? God no! And why was that the first thing you thought of?"

Lucy leaned in, smirking. "You HAVE been acting weird."

Erza nodded. "It wouldn't be surprising given how close you and Kidd are."

Kashi shook her head furiously, hands waving in front of her defensively. "Guys, seriously, no! I don't even like kids…"

Naomi cackled and clapped her hands. "WHAT IF KIDD WANTS 88 SO IT'S SYMMETRICAL?!"

Kashi's blush reddened with her raised voice. "HELL NO!"

Juvia's face darkened, sinister planning was taking place in her mind. "Juvia would like to see Naomi with fifty baby Natsus!"

Kashi laughed so hard her sides hurt. "YES! Fifty baby fireballs! And Juvia needs to have at LEAST ten Gray babies!"

Juvia's eyes swelled into hearts. "Juvia was planning more like a hundred baby Gray-samas…"

Erza joined in the laughter, glancing at Levy. "I think lots of baby Gajeels would be adorable, too."

Wendy and the Exceeds piped up. "We can all babysit for you!"

Everyone was laughing, and to Kashi's relief they forgot about her conversation with Natsu. But now they were insisting she needed to have at LEAST eight babies with Kidd in order to make it symmetrical, and she most definitely did NOT want to get that idea in his head. Because she knew, he would beg for eight. In contrast, everyone wanted to see fifty mini-Natsus, so it was more than fair at this point.

~Back at the Cart~

All the girls' laughter woke up the boys. Natsu had unfortunately been left unattended with the food, and most of it was gone already. The girls couldn't care less, for they were enjoying their inside jokes with each other. Natsu was avoiding being pummeled by Erza, and Kidd glanced at Kashi, noticing she was blushing and whispering with Naomi. "What are you two so giddy about?"

Naomi giggled. "I just thought it would be cute if you guys had ei…" Kashi slapped her hand over Naomi's mouth. "NOTHING! She's talking nonsense, the heat has really gotten to us all so let's forget she was going to say anything shall we?" The two continued to laugh hysterically at their own ramblings that nobody could understand but themselves. Levy couldn't hide her blush and Gajeel was poking her face, asking if she was okay. Juvia offered to help Gray undress for his bath, and he was trying to find a way to tell her no without hurting her feelings, so in the end he just let her take his clothes when he had taken them off, which she usually did for him anyway when he would unconsciously strip in public. Everyone else grabbed some food and water, and after eating, the men took their baths in the creek and back on the road they went.


	33. 32: I Was Always With You

**Chapter 32**

 **"** **I Was Always With You"**

 **Song: Our Song, Matchbox Twenty "I'm going to be there always, after the pain has gone away, the feelings are so strong…"**

The sun was almost gone from the sky, and the Red Village was just in sight on the horizon. Kashi had finally given in to the aches of her feet and let Kidd carry her; Natsu and Naomi had given up on each other and lay sprawled across Erza's things on the cart alongside Wendy and the exceeds. Gajeel carried Levy as before, and Lucy had called upon Virgo to carry her; since Horologium had run out of steam for the day. Chills ran down their backs as the sun's rays stopped heating their already-red skin. They couldn't wait to check into that hotel. Even Erza was tired from the journey; even though she was too proud to admit such, though Naomi could tell. The day had carried on for far too long.

Speaking of Naomi, as they pulled the cart next to the hotel they were staying at, she got a burst of energy. The sun had set, the night-time lanterns were lit and the street vendors were lowering their prices for a quick end-of-day sale. Wiping the last of the sweat from her brow, she poked an elbow into Natsu's ribs. With a grunt, he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What?" Naomi smiled. "Let's quick grab some food for the group so we don't have to get up early tomorrow." He nodded, onyx eyes droopy with sleep. She pulled him off the cart, and was stopped by Erza as she came out of the hotel. "We're all checked in. Rooms 64 for the boys and 65 for the girls. This hotel is called Cortez, the one two blocks down is the Caesar. Don't mix them up and get lost." Naomi nodded. "I'm taking Natsu shopping for food. Be back in an hour." Erza smiled her agreement as she began to unpack her things from the cart. Everyone else had sluggishly made their way into the hotel, exceeds following, while Kashi was moaning her disagreement with room 64, saying "Kidd was going to die if he stayed in that room" but nobody took notice of her for being tired. It was soon forgotten by everybody, anyway.

Naomi took a portion of Erza's money with them as they walked down the street, purchasing various food items like potatoes, carrots, celery and other necessities for a stew. "Kidd will find something to make with whatever I bring back." She smiled at Natsu, who was carrying most of the bags. Giggling, Naomi handed him another bag from the stand they were currently at. "This reminds me of the first sleepover we had."

Natsu's eyes brightened. "Oh yeah! We brought so much stuff…"

Naomi leaned on him, smiling. "And we didn't use any of it!"

Laughing, he looked to the sky in remembrance. "We ended up ditching all our stuff and playing outside all day with sticks."

At the end of the street, Naomi looked through the bags and made a mental inventory of their items. "I think this should be plenty. Ready, Natsu?" He nodded, happy to be heading back for some much-needed sleep. They had wandered about a mile from the hotel in their pursuit of food, so it was a slow walk back. The vendors they had just passed ten minutes earlier were closed down, lights out and empty. A breeze passed between them, and Natsu was brought back to a memory with Naomi's scent.

"I just remembered…" Naomi turned her head, facing him as they walked down the street carrying their bags of groceries. "When you were in the other world… I searched for you every day." Her eyes smile disappeared, and she stopped as Natsu's lips drew into a frown. "One day I could have sworn I smelled you… as if you were standing right next to me."

Naomi's eyes widened. "Wait… were you on the road from Magnolia to Blue Pegasus?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, the hairs standing up on his neck. "Yeah… how did you know that?"

Naomi smiled. "I thought it was a dream… but I was there! Natsu…" She set her bags down and grabbed his shirt. "I was there! I was floating, and I called out to you but you couldn't hear me, so I flew down closer and tried to touch you, but I woke up before anything happened."

"How is that even possible?!" Natsu dropped his bags and grabbed her in a hug. "All this makes me remember just how lucky I am to still have you." Naomi felt tears come to her eyes as she reciprocated the hug. The horrors she went through in her time on Earth flashed through her memory, making her shudder. She held on to her pink haired boyfriend even tighter. "Thank you for not giving up on me, Natsu."

He pulled away from her, a wide smile on his face. "Of course! Now let's get back… it's getting dark."

Naomi looked around to see even the streetlamps had turned dim due to the late hour. "Natsu… it IS dark."

Picking up their bags, they made a race to the hotel, and shut the door on the past as they headed to sleep, unaware of the pain awaiting them in the future.


	34. 33: Strip Poker

**Chapter 33**

 **"Strip Poker"**

 **Song: Hotel Room, Pitbull "Make some noise!"**

Kidd had gone out exploring the town they were staying in. It had been a few hours since he left, and the sun was starting to lower itself closer to the horizon. As he opened the door to the hotel, a few things had caught his attention. Firstly, loud music was playing from within one of the rooms. From where he stood, it sounded like it came somewhere on the second floor, where everyone was staying. That wasn't unusual; Gajeel liked loud music. Second, as he ascended the stairs, he heard laughter, and was pretty sure Kashi's voice was one of them. Also not unusual; she was with her best friends. Third, as he walked down the hall to one of the rooms that he and his friends occupied, he realized the noise was all coming from HIS room. This was unusual. He wasn't even in there, and surely Kashi wouldn't be up to anything, would she?

Lyrics were heard being sung through the door. "WE AT THE HOTEL, MOTEL, HOLIDAY INN!" He pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Naomi, Kashi, Natsu, and Gray from within the room. He was unfamiliar with the song. Natsu could be heard starting the next chorus, followed by Gray, and finished by Kashi, with Naomi laughing all the way.

"I'll tell you what we gun do 2+2 I'm gun undress you,"

"Then we gunna go 3 and 3 you gun undress me!"

"Then we gunna go 4 and 4 we gun freak some more BUT FIRST!"

Kidd was appalled at the words, but lost it when Naomi and Kashi both sung "Forget about your boyyyfriiieend and meet me at the Hotel room~"

He flung open the door, half expecting Kashi to be making out with Gray or something of the sort. "What the Hell is…." The sight before him left him speechless. He saw the four sitting around the table, each of them holding cards, and each with various garments of clothing missing. Natsu was down to his boxers, Gray was missing all of his clothing, Naomi was missing her top, and Kashi was pulling off her shirt; her sweatshirt and pants already littering the floor. Blood rushed to his face as he took in the scene before him. A hand rushed to his face as he felt blood start to drip, noticing how Kashi's breasts were indeed perfectly symmetrical. Natsu looked over to Kidd and waved "Hey!" Kashi saw Kidd and screamed; pulling Natsu in front of her so her boyfriend couldn't look at her nearly naked, even though Natsu's body did nothing to obstruct the view. Naomi laughed. "You gunna join?"

Kidd, still bleeding profusely through his nostrils, peeled his eyes away from Kashi. "What are you guys doing?!"

Gray shrugged. "Uh, strip poker?"

Naomi nodded. "We always play this."

Kidd shook his head. "So everyone gets to see my girlfriend in her delicates except me?!" He glanced at Gray. "And why are you completely naked in front of her?!"

Gray raised his hands. "Hey, I was naked before we started."

Naomi nodded. "When ISN'T Gray naked, though?"

Natsu chuckled, still partially leaning in front of Kashi, who was red in the face and speechless. "Like, yeah, I call him stripper for a reason." Then Natsu realized Kidd was still staring at Kashi, against his attempts not to. "And QUIT LOOKING AT MY AUNT YOU PERVERT!" Suddenly Kidd was pushed aside, and Erza poked her head in. "You guys are playing without me? How rude!" She started stripping off her armor, and Gajeel burst in behind her. "Did I hear someone say strip poker?!" Levy wasn't far behind, begging him not to play. Juvia was next, basically drooling. "Gray-sama is so cute without clothes on…"

Kidd lay on the floor, hands covering his face. Naomi noticed, and asked him if he was okay. Kidd responded in a whisper that could be barely heard over the commotion of the rest of the group joining in the game. "How can she clothe something so perfectly symmetrical in something so asymmetrical?" Naomi looked over and noticed Kashi's bra was in fact asymmetrical. Kashi's face darkened to a red that matched her bangs. "TO KEEP YOU FROM STARING AT THEM!"

Natsu high-fived Naomi. "Perfect protection, honestly. Did you plan that, by chance?" Kashi hid her face in her sweatshirt that she picked up off the floor. In a muffled voice she yelled at her friends. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Then she poked her head out from her sweatshirt. "And yes, I did it on purpose."

Everyone laughed, knowing all too well that if Kidd did get any funny ideas, chances are he couldn't stand for an asymmetrical bra. At the very least, it would distract him. Levy leaned in to Kashi, a sly grin on her face. "You know, that would just make him want to take it off."

Kidd wobbled back to a standing position, and noticed Kashi cover her blushing face at Levy's comment. Even though it was extremely against his nature, he was in this far, and along with everyone else, LOVED seeing Kashi all worked up and blushing. So he wiped the blood off his face and sexily leaned on the doorframe. "Yes, something as asymmetrical as that simply will not do." Kashi glared at Naomi before getting a sly grin of her own.

She stood up slowly, and everyone quieted down to contained snickers. Natsu started fuming, but Naomi shook him fiercely, trying desperately to contain her shipping.

Kashi batted her eyelashes. "Okay, why don't I let you fix it for me?" Kidd's expression suddenly changed to a blank stare. "Uh…" As Kashi swayed towards him with her hands on her hips, he didn't notice everyone hitting each other in excitement. All he could see was the mischievous look in Kashi's deep green eyes, and her pale, flawless skin, and the way her hips moved…

All he could mutter was an "Uh…" in confusion, not expecting a reaction any different than her usual blush. Her cheeks were dusted with a pink, but still… this was totally unexpected. He glanced to her cleavage and forced himself to look away, muttering another "Uh…" The instant he looked away she lunged forward, pushing him backwards, making him fall to the floor. Still in shock, he watched in confusion as Kashi winked at him and quickly shut the door before he could get back up, followed by the "click" of the deadbolt. "Hey!" Kidd yelled out. As everyone was cheering for Kashi's performance he could almost hear the embarrassment in her voice as she exclaimed "I'm never doing this again."

Kidd chuckled as everyone laughed and fangirl screeched. He shook his head and sighed.

"Kashi, 1… Kidd, 0."


	35. 34: Dragons Extinct

**Chapter 34**

 **"Dragons: Extinct"**

 **Song: Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes "I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget…Leave it alone!"**

Once things had settled down for the night, everyone got into their respective pairs and headed to their separate rooms. Kashi still wasn't comfortable with sharing a sleeping space with Kidd (especially after their earlier encounter…) so Kidd bunked with Natsu and Naomi took his place instead. It was a long night in an unfamiliar place, but everyone got plenty of rest. As the sun brightened the sky and poked its glowing face over the horizon, everyone awoke and prepared for their long day ahead of them.

They decided to meet in the hotel lobby at noon. Kashi was the last one down the stairs right behind Naomi; her green eyes still tired and her movements sluggish, very different from Naomi's bright blue eyes and pep in her step. As they joined the group, they overheard Levy asking the receptionist about the area and the recent attacks on the city.

"Do you have any information about what's been happening with the recent destructions within the city?"

The receptionist was an older lady, probably around her mid sixties. Her attitude was tough and her words were sharp. "Word around town is that the old dragon came back to haunt us. I've lived in this town since I was five, and I've yet to see a dragon. If you ask me, dragons never existed at all."

Levy started to speak. "Yes, ma'am, but that doesn't answer…"

Natsu butted in. "Of course dragons existed! Just because you've never seen one doesn't mean they're not real!"  
The lady leaned up against the counter and folded her arms. "What makes you so sure young man?"

Next Gajeel stepped up to the counter, pushing Levy aside. "We were raised by dragons… you have no idea what you're talking about."

The lady laughed. "Raised by dragons?! That's absurd!"

Wendy joined Natsu and Gajeel now, barely able to see over the counter top. "It's true! You have no right to make fun of us just because you don't believe us!"

Kashi's blood was boiling from a mix of hearing someone make fun of her family as well as being overly tired from waking up early. Before Naomi could even notice what was happening, Kashi stomped over behind the counter to the receptionist and grabbed her shirt, pushing her against the wall. "Have you never read a history book? Of course dragons are real! Maybe not anymore, but once upon a time they were." Everyone looked on in confusion at Kashi's sudden outburst, and Natsu outstretched a hand, debating if he should stop her or not. "And don't you ever, EVER make fun of my family again… you got that?!"

The receptionist stared at Kashi with an annoyed glare. "Do you want me to call security on you?" Kashi glared back, and as she opened her mouth to argue some more, Kidd stepped forward and tried pulling her away. "Come on, Kashi. She isn't worth it."

She paused for a moment before releasing the receptionist. Then to Kidd's surprise, she turned her furious gaze onto him. "How would you know?! You don't even understand!" Kidd flinched at Kashi's words, and ran out of the hotel. He sighed and started to follow her, his golden eyes filled with worry, when Natsu stopped him. His onyx eyes looked into his golden ones, and tried to plead with him. "She won't be very happy if you follow her, you know."

Kidd shrugged off Natsu's hand. "She won't be happy if I don't, either. I need to make sure she's okay. Hopefully I can get her to let me understand."

Natsu nodded. "Just don't pressure her. She'll talk when she's ready."

Kidd nodded a silent thank-you, and headed off in the direction Kashi had gone.

Natsu turned back to Naomi, and shrugged. "Looks like we're going to be exploring without them today." Naomi nodded, a curly red string of hair falling into her face. "So, where should we all go?"

Lucy pulled out a map of the town she had grabbed earlier and started circling areas for everyone to search. While the group was huddled around Lucy's planning, a group of men clad in black shrouds burst in through the front door. "Halt! You're all under arrest!"

Charle gasped. "We haven't done anything!" Wendy grabbed her exceed and held her close. Gajeel stepped in front of Levy, Lucy hid behind Natsu, and Happy hid behind Lucy. Naomi stood next to Natsu, her face showing just as much anger at Natsu's.

Natsu clenched his hands into tight fists and posed for a strike. "Who the heck are you?"

Erza stepped in front of Natsu and drew her silver blade. "State your business."

The man who stood in front of the other mystery men lacked a weapon, but reeked of evil magic powers. His eyes spoke of evil and his grin sent shivers down the Fairy Tail members' spines. "Why, we need you to find Achnologia, of course!"

The Fairy Tail members were taken aback by the unexpected name, and in their moment of surprise the man covered his face with a black scarf and released a toxin into the air. One breath later and everyone was coughing. They didn't even have time to realize what he had done before they could instruct each other not to breathe in whatever it was this man had released into the air, but alas, they knew it wasn't going to be good when their coughing became weaker as all their visions faded to black. Natsu reached for Naomi in his last few seconds of consciousness, but she collapsed before he could touch her. He muttered under his breath with his last ounce of energy. "You'll pay for this…nobody…hurts…my Naomi…"

The last thing they heard was his evil cackling as his followers moved in to collect their bounty.

One of the men identified the Fairy Tail members before one or more of the others picked each one up and headed into the forest. "We have all the dragon slayers, Master Dunbar. But…"

"But?" The master glared at his subordinate with his unusually dark brown eyes, making him shiver.

"It seems we are missing the reaper and the dragon, sir."

Master Dunbar closed his eyes, clenched his fists and took in a deep breath. "You mean to tell me the dragon isn't here?! THAT'S WHAT WE CAME HERE FOR!"

The identifier cowered at his master's words. "I'm sorry, sir. She was last seen with this group- she must be nearby."

The master nodded. "You'd better hope so or you'll be dead in her place!" The master took a moment, and saw that he had a handful of extra men on hand. "You take everyone else around the town. Search every house, leave no stone unturned. We must find her!"

"Yes Sir!" They all chanted, and in a line exited the building.

Master Dunbar observed the area around him. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked up into the sky. "Achnologia, I promise we will find you the last dragon. And from then on, dragons will officially be extinct!"

The Master's skin began to crawl, for he swore he heard the familiar roar of his chosen God off in the distance. A memory of the white and red-haired girl from a decade ago resurfaced in his mind. She had let him live that day… and that was her gravest mistake. "I'll get you… just wait."


	36. 35: Acceptance

**Chapter 35**

 **"Acceptance"**

 **Song: Iris, Goo Goo Dolls "I don't want the world to see me, 'cuz I don't think that they'd understand… I just want you to know who I am."**

The sun's light filtered through the canopy above. Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot as Kashi ran through the forest. Her bright green eyes darted to and fro, spotting signs of familiarity through the brush. Birds chirped in greeting, and squirrels jumped through the branches above her head; excited by her arrival. The girl's lungs burned from the sudden run, but as she broke into a small clearing the weariness left her, and she sighed. Her eyes rested upon the shaded entrance to her cave. It was quite hidden; vines had draped down and covered the hole so that anyone not aware or looking for it would never even know it was there. From a distance, it looked like another part of the cliff side it resided in. And even up close, it took just the right angle to see it.

Just as she started to feel at home again, the hair on the nape of her neck stood up as she heard footsteps behind her. She froze; unsure of whom it might be. Then the voice that belonged to those feet called out, and she felt herself exhale a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"Kashi! Wait up!" It was Kidd.

She considered her options. She could go hide in the cave, and Kidd would never find her. Or, she could just confront this problem head on, and tell him why she was here. Firstly, she needed to apologize. But she could also foresee fifty ways both of those options wouldn't work out as she would hope. She tucked a red strand of hair back behind her ear, and decided neither was best, just as Kidd broke into the clearing as Kashi had. Squinting at the sudden light, it took him a moment for his yellow eyes to adjust in order for him to confirm that Kashi was indeed standing a few feet in front of him, staring at the cliff. He sighed. "Goodness, Kashi. You can't just run off like that. How am I supposed to help when I can't find you?"

Kashi shrugged. "You found me, didn't you?" Kidd opened his mouth to argue, but he thought against it. "So… why did you come here?" Kashi turned to look back at Kidd, and waved a hand at him. "Follow me." He looked at her with a confused stare, but followed anyway. To him, all he could see was a cliff. What was there possibly for her to show him?

Suddenly it seemed as if she merged with the rock. He jumped forward, hand outstretched, only to find there wasn't any rock there at all. He pushed aside the vines and found himself in a cave. Kashi had already sat herself down in a large dip in the floor that had been previously worn out, almost like a very, very large bed.

"Wow. How did you know this was here?"

Kashi smiled sadly. "This was my home before…Fairy Tail." Kidd noticed how she took a moment to choose her words carefully, and he took the opportunity to unleash some questions. "I've done some digging while you aren't at the guild. Mirajane told me you came to the guild the same day the dragons supposedly disappeared. Is that true?"

Kashi nodded. "Yes. Why does that matter?"

"And now you're telling me you used to live in a cave?"

"Yep."

"And it's true that Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy were all raised by dragons?"

"Yep."

He watched as a squirrel ran past him and headed straight for Kashi. He started to panic, thinking maybe it was rabid, but then Kashi reached out for the little creature and it jumped into her hand. She petted it, and in the ginger creature's little paws was a blueberry that it handed to the green eyed woman. She smiled. "Thanks little buddy." The squirrel ran off leaving Kashi with her tiny snack, and Kidd stared at her with a stupid look of confusion. "I've never seen you do that before." Kashi chuckled, her cheeks red. "I used to steal peaches from the nearby village, and I would give the seeds to the squirrels. We became friends. This is the first time they gave me anything back, though."

Kidd shook his head, getting back on track. "So, if my research is to be accurate… you were also raised by dragons, therefore you are a dragon slayer too, right?"

Kashi thought about it, nodding slowly. "Something like that." Kidd sighed, taking that as an answer, even though it wasn't the truth. "Why couldn't you just tell me?" Kashi grumbled, making no effort to leave her spot on the floor. "Look, it's not something I like to talk about. It's in the past and it doesn't matter… dragons are never coming back." Kidd's stern gaze softened and he shuffled himself over to Kashi; taking a seat on the cold floor next to her. She looked over the blueberry she still held in between two fingers, and to Kidd's surprise she popped it into her mouth. "You're seriously going to eat that?" Kashi shrugged. "Why not?" Kidd shook his head. "A squirrel gave it to you! Who knows where it's been?!" Kashi gasped. "Are you accusing my little Jerry Jr. the Twentieth of doing something to my blueberry? How Rude." The two of them laughed.

Kidd sighed. "Is this whole dragon slayer what you didn't want to tell me?"

Kashi looked at him with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Kidd smiled slightly. "I overheard you and Natsu during one of our stops on the way up here. I heard you say you didn't want to tell me something, and it sounded important… was that it?"

Kashi nodded. "Yes and no."

Kidd nodded, chuckling to himself. "I figured. It just seems so minor compared to where my mind went." Kashi raised an eyebrow at him. "And what were you thinking it was?" Kidd's face flushed a bright red, and he stuttered. "Ah, well… I thought, that, maybe, you were, um, expecting…" Kashi squinted at him, trying to decipher his words. As if a lightbulb went off in her brain, she suddenly cracked up, and started laughing at him. Tears filled her eyes as she fell back onto the rock laughing, holding her sides. "Oh my Gooodd Kidd! That's ridiculous!" Kidd tried to cover his face as his embarrassment grew. "What else was I supposed to think?! It was logical!"

Kashi rolled over, curling into a crying ball of laughter. "Not for virgins it ain't!"

Then it hit Kidd in the head like a ton of bricks. He had forgotten, that, not only do you need to have sex to make a baby, but he was so worked up with the idea, that he forgot they had never actually taken their relationship to home base, and neither of them had been there at all.

Kashi was still laughing, asking him if he'd ever taken a single health class in his life. He began laughing along with her, and he began to wonder what he had done to deserve such a cute, innocent person like her. She was always honest about the important things, and would never hide anything without a good reason. And those good reasons, Kidd came to find out, were usually no big deal at all; Kashi tended to overthink and believe that small things are really big things.

She calmed down, still giggling, but Kidd smiled down at her with concerned eyes. "So, what are you afraid to tell me then?" Kashi's laughter subsided, but the tears kept flowing. Kidd touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Kashi sat back up and grabbed his shirt with both hands. "You promise you won't hate me?" Kidd scrunched his eyebrows. "You know me by now… I could never be mad at you, and nothing you could ever do would make me hate you." Kashi avoided eye contact, silent tears streaming down her face, her grip so tight her knuckles turned white. "You were wrong, and I didn't tell you the whole truth. I'm not a dragon slayer… I'm just a dragon." Kidd's eyes locked with Kashi's, and she could tell he didn't quite understand what she meant. This was confirmed by his next words. "What do you mean a dragon?"

Kashi sighed, letting go of Kidd and standing up, leaving him sitting on the floor and making distance between them. "My parents were dragons, my brother is Natsu's dragon, Igneel, and in short…I was born a dragon." She paced the cave. "This is where I lived. This is MY cave. I lived here alone. I was the Dragon of the Forest. That dragon we are hunting for this mission? That's me. That's ME, Kidd!"

Kidd stood up and made his way towards her. "Hey, calm down. You aren't turning back into a dragon anytime soon, right?" Kashi shook her head. "I can't." Kidd shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I fail to see the big deal here. You're a human now, so what's the problem?"

Kidd grabbed Kashi by the shoulders to keep her from pacing. He felt her tense under his strong yet gentle grip. "I… I thought that if you knew I was a dragon… you wouldn't want to be with me anymore…"

Kidd pulled Kashi into a hug. "Oh Kashi. That's just like you though, isn't it? Getting all worked up over nothing." Kashi sighed. "B-But it isn't nothing! There aren't any rules about allowing a dragon to join a guild! Who's to say I might ruin both our lives if Fairy Tail kicks me out for being a dragon?"

Kidd didn't let her go, even though she struggles slightly to pace some more. "That just means there isn't a rule stating that they would kick you out, either. You've been with these guys for so long, I doubt they would kick you out if there was a rule, and for you, I'm sure they would make an exception if there was."

Kashi sighed, and finally gave in to the hug. "Why can't I see the positive outcomes like you can?"

Kidd held Kashi close. "When your life changes like that, lots of things can happen. You just learned not to trust anybody, and anybody included yourself. It is easier to find the negatives in life, but that's because they hurt. Nobody wants to be hurt, so preparing yourself for the bad things makes those bad things hurt less because you saw it coming, and then good surprises are all the sweeter because you never saw them coming."

Kashi chuckled. "What, you a psychologist now?"

"I've read some books."

Kashi hugged her asymmetrical reaper. "So you don't hate me for what my genetics say I am?"

Kidd pulled Kashi away to look her in the eye. "Did you not hear me? Even if you did turn back into a dragon, you couldn't get me to leave your side or stop loving you. It's not gunna happen."

Kashi smiled. "I love you."

Kidd brushed some red hair off of her forehead to kiss her. "I love you too." A cold breeze blew into the cave, suggesting the sun was going down. "We should probably get going… who knows what trouble Natsu got everyone into." Kashi laughed. "True. Let's go."

The two of them walked hand in hand back through the forest. Kidd was hopelessly lost, but Kashi knew where to go. When they neared the edge of the forest Kashi smelled smoke. Kidd noticed it too, and they picked up their pace. Exiting the treeline they gasped. The entire town was either in flames or destroyed. In the rubble was a group of men in black cloaks. Kashi shoved Kidd aside, and they hid behind a brick wall. "Who are these people?!" Kidd whispered. Kashi shook her head- she had no idea. One of them had Natsu's scarf, though.

He poked through the rubble with his foot, halfheartedly looking for survivors. "We checked every house and burned them down as we moved on to the next. We're still missing the reaper and the little dragon lady. Should we just head back to the base and torture them for information?"

One of the other men shrugged. "I dunno. Master Gervoski will be mad if we come back empty handed, but we've searched the whole town and we've got nothing."

"I'll stay here and keep watch for anyone returning to the village. The rest of you can go tell the Master that he can start working on the slayers. One of them should know where the dragon is."

"Aye-aye, sir."

All but one of the men started off into the forest. The leaves crunching beneath them gave Kashi a good idea where they were headed. "Let's wait for this guy to wander off, and then follow me, okay?" Kidd nodded, ready to follow. Kashi was the only one who knew where they were going, after all. And she knew, all right.

There was only one place in the forest they could have possibly gone to…

The old abandoned dragon watchtower.


	37. 36: The Captured Beast

**Chapter 36**

 **"The Captured Beast"**

 **Song: The Unforgiven, Metallica "Never free, never me."**

Kidd's golden eyes were fixed on the back of Kashi's head as she led him silently through the forest. Kidd had tripped on quite the number of sticks and jutting rocks that clumsy Kashi herself had managed to skip over without incident while traversing the path, but if he looked down to watch where he was going, he would lose her in a flash. It had been about a half hour now, and he could tell she was getting tired for she had almost tripped a few times herself in the last ten minutes. Kidd glanced at his surroundings briefly before whispering to his girlfriend. "Hey, Kashi, why don't we take a break? We won't be any good to them if we're too tired to fight."

Kashi inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, slowing her speed walk to an amble. "I know… but we have to at least know where they are first, or we might lose them…" She turned her head so that her worried green eyes could meet Kidd's, and he nodded, seeing the determination in her face overpowering the exhaustion for now. He followed in close proximity to her, keeping his ears strained for any signs of human activity. Suddenly Kashi stopped, and Kidd barely stopped himself from walking right into her. She crouched down behind the nearest bush and Kidd replicated the movement. He heard a distant conversation. Kashi glanced at him and he nodded to her… they were close to the enemy's location.

The two crept closer under the cover of the bushes. Kashi peeked over a small rock, and saw the tower through some branches. Through the gap between two trees ahead of them, Kashi could identify two of the men that were at the burnt village an hour earlier. This was the place. Kashi sat down in her location, and sighed. Kidd took a seat in the grass next to her. Keeping his voice low, he leaned his mouth close to Kashi's ear. "Do you have any ideas?"

She shook her head, lips pursed as multiple thoughts ran through her head. "We need to sneak in, but I don't know how to do that without alerting those guys." Kidd nodded, turning his body to peek around the bush and observe the guards. After a silent minute, he turned back to Kashi. "It looks like there is only three. Maybe we can make a distraction out here in the woods, and when they go to check it out we sneak past them."

Kashi bit her lip, working out the situation in her head. "That might work." She patted the ground around her and found a small rock. "Could we use this at all?"

Kidd ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know… can we climb up anywhere out of their sight?"

Kashi took a closer look at the tower. "There is a far side that SHOULD have a window if my memory serves me correctly… let's sneak over there and see what we can do."

The two snuck their way around to the opposite side of the building. Not only was there a window, but nobody was guarding this side of the tower, either. Getting in would be easier than they anticipated.

~In the Tower~

Natsu opened his eyes and saw metal bars in front of him. He took a breath and pain shot through his back and shoulders. Moving his arms, he realized he was chained to the wall. Looking around in confusion he saw Naomi was next to him; her arms also chained above her head, her hair hanging in front of her face. "Naomi? Are you okay?" Her head stayed in its hanging position. A familiar voice whispered beside him. "She's still unconscious."

His muscles burned as he turned his head to see Erza also in chains. Taking a moment to scan the cell they were in, he saw everyone else from the group chained as well… all except Kashi and Kidd. "What happened?" Natsu pulled hard against his chains, bruising his wrists. Erza closed her eyes, relaxing against her bonds. "We were captured by followers of Achnologia, it seems."

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "Achnologia…"

Lucy grunted from a few chains down. "Wait, where are we?"

Levy was next to join the conversation. "Since I wasn't awake for the trip here I can't guarantee our location, but by the size of these cells and the architecture of the building, it's safe to assume we are in a dragon watchtower." She looked over to Gajeel, who was still out cold. "And that's not a good thing…"

Lucy's eyes revealed her panic. "What on earth is a dragon watchtower and why are we in it?"

Levy raised her COLOR eyes to meet Lucy's brown ones. "Dragon watchtowers were built to lure dragons out of their nearby caves with the hundreds of prisoners the cities would keep in these cells. They must be trying to lure the dragon everyone's been talking about…"

Erza clenched her fists. "And a dragon, in turn, would lure Achnologia."

Levy nodded. "Exactly."

Natsu held his tongue regarding the identity of the dragon. If all went well, they could escape before anybody had to find out. But he was terribly wrong… footsteps sounded against the hard-stone floors and echoed off the walls. Appearing from the other side of a doorway across from them was the leader of the group from earlier. Master Dunbar. His dark brown eyes pierced through Natsu's tough exterior and sent a shiver down his spine. Running a rough hand through his jet black hair, Dunbar looked over his prisoners one by one, eventually stopping on Natsu. "You say he's the one with intel on the dragon?" A man standing beside him wearing a cloak nodded, bringing a crooked smile to Dunbar's face. "Good. Bring him out first."

"Wait!" Natsu looked around. "Tell me where Happy is!" Guards wearing metal armor walked out from behind Dunbar and opened the cage the group was in and injected Natsu with something. "What the hell did you do to me?!" They unlocked the cuffs on Natsu's wrists, but as he tried throwing a punch with his freed hand he found his magic wouldn't come. "It's a special serum. It neutralizes a mage's magic powers for a while. Don't worry, you'll get your magic back. If you live." Naomi stirred as the men grabbed Natsu. Her blue eyes filled with worry. "Natsu? What's going on?"

Natsu thrashed as two guards grabbed the pink haired dragon slayer by him arms, dragging him away from his friends. He strained his head back and glanced at Naomi. "We'll get out of this, I promise!" They locked him back up in another set of chains, this time on the wall opposite of his friends so they could see each painful move he made as Dunbar had his friends "coax" the information out of him.

They started with a whip.

~ Back to Kidd and Kashi~

The two pressed their backs against the rocky wall. They had managed to climb up the short wall and get in through the window. Luckily for them, the room they were breaking into was empty, and no guards were to be seen anywhere. Kidd peeked his head around the corner, looking down the hall for any signs of their friends or their enemies. "Nothing here… should we try and move up a story?"

Kashi nodded, and followed her friend as he stepped lightly through the halls, peeking through the bars in every door for their friends. As they started moving up the stairs toward the third floor they heard a loud crack, and Naomi screamed. They looked at each other with worry, and moved faster up the flight. They were met with a long hallway, and they started moving down it. When Kidd peeked through the first door to the left, he ducked down and gestured for Kashi to look. Glancing through the hole she saw all their friends in chains, and Natsu isolated, and being whipped by one of the Master's men. Blood dripped down Natsu's chest as he was lashed repeatedly. Kashi gasped, and Kidd covered her mouth to prevent anyone from hearing. The two watched in silence as the whipping soon stopped and questions were thrown Natsu's direction.

"Where is your friend, the dragon?"

Natsu glared at the man. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

Dunbar snickered. "Oh, but you do. She has silvery hair, and red bangs. Does that ring a bell?"

Gajeel scoffed from the cage. "Kashi? A dragon? How many crazy pills are you on, man?"

The whip cracked again, and Natsu didn't even flinch. He made no movement to indicate that he was going to speak anytime soon; he wasn't the type to throw a friend under the bus. Dunbar glared down at Natsu, nose pointed up. "If you won't talk, maybe SHE will!"

Guards headed back to the cage, this time they were after Naomi. Her blue eyes locked with Natsu's onyx ones as she silently pleaded for help. Natsu lunged forward, trying to break his bonds, but to no avail. "DON'T EVEN TOUCH HER, I SWEAR I'LL BURN YOU ALL TO HELL!"

The men pushed Naomi to the floor in a kneeling position. In front of Natsu, they tightly pressed a blade to her throat to the point where swallowing might break the skin. Sweat beaded down his face as he held his breath, unable to protect her when she was mere inches away from him. His pupils shrunk, and he flashed a glare of pure hatred to Dunbar. He leaned in close to Naomi's ear. "Where is, Kashi?"

Kashi shook her head from behind the door. "I have to go in there. This is all my fault. I have to…"

Kidd grabbed Kashi tightly by the shoulders and locked eyes with her. "They'll kill you, Kashi! You can't go in there!"

Kashi moved Kidd's hands around her own. "And if I don't, they'll die."

Kidd opened his mouth to argue, but all he could do was tighten his grip on her hand. "Please don't go…"

Kashi pulled him in for a quick kiss, and just looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

Kidd clung to her hand for dear life, and he pulled her back when her hand was an inch away from opening the door. She pried his hand away from hers. "Promise you'll always be here for me?"

Kidd was taken aback, and it took him a moment to process the words she had spoken. "Of course. Forever and Always."

Kashi's eyes filled with tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. "Promise?"

Kidd pushed away his fear and forced himself to believe that Kashi would be okay. "Promise."

~Everyone~

In the background, with everyone focused on the scene ahead of them, Levy's magic had come back and she was working on a key to unchain herself, and consequentially everyone else for a surprise attack and getaway.

However, back in the scene, Naomi would have shaken her head, but was afraid to move with the dagger ready to slice her open at the slightest flick of the wrist. "I don't know where she is. None of us have seen her since this morning." Tears filled in her eyes as the ungodly cold blade teased her with thoughts of death. Dunbar shrugged. "Oh well. I guess we can kill you then."

The guard holding Naomi lifted the blade just enough to position it farther to the left in preparation to slit her throat. Natsu opened his mouth to object, but someone screamed "NO!" before he was able. The guard paused as Dunbar raised a hand, and everyone's gaze followed Dunbar's. In the doorway stood Kashi, hands clenched into tight fists. Kidd was still hiding out of sight, hoping they wouldn't need any help, but there if they needed him.

She pushed her red bangs out of her face and glared at the man. He was uncannily familiar, and she remembered why. "I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance."

He laughed. "Such a beautiful woman. Too bad I need you back in your ugly dragon form to be of any use to me." He walked over to Kashi, now standing with his face inches away from hers. "Maybe I should have some fun with her first… after all I never did get to when you were younger." She spit in his face, and he just chuckled. "Boys!" Naomi was thrown into Natsu's arms, and the guards had Kashi surrounded and captured in seconds.

What they hadn't noticed was that Levy's magic had come back and she has unchained herself, Gajeel, and Erza, and was working on everyone else's bonds. All they had to do was wait until the rest of their magic came back.

But the magic might come a little too late.


	38. 37: Say Your Goodbyes

**Chapter 37**

 **"Say Your Goodbyes"**

 **Song: Say Something, A Great Big World "You're the one that I love… and I'm saying good-bye."**

Kidd stood tight against the wall. It took all the strength within him to keep himself from running to her aide, but he wouldn't be of any help if they caught him, too. He listened as they drug her over to Natsu and chained her up next to him. They didn't see Naomi as a threat, so they left her clinging to Natsu.

Back in the room the guards were still focused on Kashi and didn't see the mages within the cell breaking free of their chains. When the time was right, they would strike. Until then, all eyes were on Kashi, and her guild mates were both confused and worried for their friend.

Dunbar waited until the guards had locked Kashi up before starting his interrogation. Before any words were said, he charged up a kick and jabbed Kashi in the ribs. A sharp cry of pain escaped her lips, and her green eyes teared. "What the hell was that for?" She yelled in an attempt to sound un-phased by his action. He looked down on her, and grabbing a handful of her hair he yanked, pinning her head against the wall. Her green eyes burned with fury as her eyes met his.

"I order you to turn back into a dragon."

Whispers moved through the cell containing the Fairy Tail mages. "Is she really a dragon?" "How is that even possible?" "This guy's just crazy, right?"

Kashi glanced at her friends, and saw the judgment in their eyes. If it was true, they would wonder why she lied about her true identity. And in the worst-case scenario, they would never forgive her for that lie.

Kashi sighed, and when Dunbar let go of her hair she looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry guys, I should have told you sooner…"

Gasps were heard from those in the cell, and a smirk crossed Dunbar's face. Natsu pulled himself as close to Kashi as his chains would allow. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Dunbar grabbed the whip from his follower and lashed at Natsu. "Shut up!" Naomi squeaked at the loud sound, and tightened her grip on Natsu. Dunbar turned his attention back to Kashi. "Did you want to say something to your friends?" She shrugged her shoulders. Dunbar began to pace in front of Kashi. "Do you know how I became a follower of Achnologia?"

Kashi's pupils shrunk at the name. She didn't answer him. "After my encounter with you… I went around bragging about it to the people in my guild. Soon enough, I was approached by this dark guild. They wanted to destroy all of humanity. To do this, they needed Achnologia's help." Natsu and Kashi exchanged a glance of annoyance. "And they wanted this dragon I spoke of to lure him to our location. We wanted a favor; he destroys the world, and we give him the last dragon."

Kashi swallowed hard. "So, we spent our lives finding Achnologia, and we made a deal. But in order for it to count, you must be in your dragon form." He leaned close to Kashi's face. "So why don't WE make a deal? If you defeat Achnologia, we'll give up on our mission, and let you all live."

Kashi glared, his face inches from hers. "Nobody can defeat Achnologia, not even a dragon slayer. Besides, I'm a dragon, not a genie; I can't change forms whenever I want." Kashi opened her mouth to continue her lecture, but Dunbar interrupted her.

"Then we'll force you to change. When your human body gives out, you'll be forced to change back into a dragon!" He chuckled, and the chuckle turned into a laugh of hysteria. He raised the arm with the whip, ready to strike. Kashi braced herself for the impact, but Naomi had stood and grabbed his arm, stopping him from going through with the movement. Dunbar's laughter stopped and he grunted in annoyance. "Get this rat off me!"

Two guards grabbed Naomi and pulled her off their master. Dunbar glared at the young lady and pointed the whip at her. "For your little act, this pink haired boy of yours gets another dose of pain…" As he raised the whip back behind his head again, Naomi felt her head get fuzzy, and the room around her started to shrink as black started surrounding her vision. Kashi's heart sped up as she saw Naomi wobble, her senses dulling. "Oh no…"

Naomi was suddenly surrounded by a dark purple flame, and she screamed. "NOBODY HURTS MY FRIENDS!" The whole building seemed to shake as her powers sucked the life out of the two men who were touching her. They fell to the floor with the clang of their metal armor suits, and Naomi turned her lifeless eyes to Dunbar. He stepped back as his guards ran in front to protect him and drew their swords. Naomi dodged each advance and continued making steps closer to the men. With a punch to the face, each man's life force was drained from their bodies, and they fell to the floor making a new obstacle for everyone to step over. Dunbar escaped the room, and exited the tower.

Levy finished taking the chains off Gray, and everyone was free. "All I have to get is the door…" Erza pushed her aside, changed her armor and kicked the cell door open. "Nevermind!" Erza, with her powers fully restored, took some attention away from Naomi and clashed swords with the guards. Gajeel reached for Levy's arm, but she pulled away. "I have to save Natsu and Kashi first!"

Gajeel nodded and followed Gray and Wendy out of the room and down the stairs. Wendy was calling out for Charle and Happy, but no response was heard. Kidd entered the room and took in the scene. Naomi was literally out of her mind, Natsu and Kashi were still chained, and the only two people on their side still willing to help were Levy and Lucy. Lucy saw Kidd and ran over to his side. "You cover me while I call for Taurus, okay?!" Kidd nodded, just as twenty more men from further upstairs ran into the room to join the fight. Kidd took their attention away from Lucy just long enough for her to call Taurus, and half of them were down for the count with one swing of his axe. "Lucy, you sure are beauuuuutiful today!" Lucy yelled at her celestial spirit. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

Levy unchained Natsu and he immediately tried to stand up, but he fell to his knees with a grunt. "Damn… whatever they injected me with sure messed me up." Levy helped him to his feet, and once he got his balance back she moved out of his way and began to unchain Kashi. Kashi looked up at her guild mate with sad eyes. "I'm sorry…" Levy nodded, and smiled as she got the second cuff off. "It's okay; everyone has their reasons."

Without another word she dodged out of the room and followed the path her guildmates had taken. Kashi watched her go, and sighed with relief when nobody followed her. Naomi saw Kashi stand up, and in her blind rage threw a punch at her. Kashi gasped and dodged the attack. "Holy shit! Naomi, knock it off!"

Erza fought off some more men and watched as her adoptive sister attacked everything that moved, including their dear friend Kashi. Her scarlet red hair hung in front of her face as tears threatened to surface; knowing that nobody could save Naomi from this rage except herself. With a heavy heart, she made the decision to escape, knowing very well that if she didn't she would be in serious danger from Naomi. And by the looks of it, Kashi would be the first to fall victim to Naomi's powers.

Naomi continued to throw punches of life-or-death at her friend. Natsu had one hand on the wall to steady himself, and another arm was hugging his side to relieve the pain from his wounds. Normally something like that wouldn't bother him much, but without his magic, he was just a normal human being. He watched as Kashi nearly dodged his fiancée's attacks, and knew he would have to stop her before she killed somebody she cared about. She had brought him out of a blind rage once; he knew he could do it for her. He just didn't know at what cost.

Kashi dodged an attack from Naomi, only to have another one of her fists coming at her in a surprise punch. Natsu jolted forward and with a single punch to the stomach, Natsu flung Naomi back halfway across the room. With a grunt he headed in Naomi's direction. Kidd ran to Kashi's side and looked her over carefully to make sure she was okay. Lucy shut Taurus's gate, and ran over to Natsu, stopping him in his tracks. "You need to leave her! Nobody can save her now!" Grabbing his arm, Lucy tried to pull Natsu towards the exit. He shot a fiery glare that stopped her in her tracks. "NO! I've already lost her once; I'm NOT about to lose her again!" Natsu forcefully pulled his arm out of Lucy's grasp, leaving the blonde celestial wizard crying by herself. Lucy shook her head and after yelling a profanity in his direction, she exited the building, leaving Naomi, Natsu, Kidd, and Kashi to fend for themselves. And Kashi couldn't use her magic, lest she blow everyone up with her.

Naomi was surrounded by three of the five remaining enemy soldiers. She stirred from her position on the floor where Natsu had thrown her, and two of the men decided to go after Kashi and Kidd. Kashi took on one, and Kidd took on another. With a single sword each, it was hard to defend themselves when the enemy also had armor and shields. Natsu regained his strength with every step, and as Naomi defeated the men surrounding her, he got closer. Determination filled his onyx eyes as she killed the last man who had been attacking and her attention was turned onto him. He gazed into her ocean blue eyes and missed the sparkle that they were currently lacking. Before she had the chance to start attacking him, he captured her in the tightest hug he had ever given. Pain filled his entire body and his vision threatened to disappear as Naomi's life sucking powers attacked him even through this simple touch. His muscles felt like they were on fire, and his thoughts became fuzzy. Blood dripped from his nose, as he felt his pulse begin to slow.

Kashi glanced away from her attacker for a moment to see Natsu lunge for Naomi and wrap her in a tight embrace. "Natsu! You can't touch her, you'll…" While she was distracted she stepped back away from a swing of her enemy's sword and tripped over a body. She fell back and hit her head with a crack on the hard stone floor. Ringing filled her ears, and her heart racing as she saw her opponent raise his sword up, pointing it down over her heart. She couldn't even muster a scream in her panic as she saw the sword come down at her in slow motion. She closed her eyes and heard the sword pierce through flesh, but didn't feel any pain. She heard a cough above her, and opened her eyes to meet those golden orbs that belong to her beloved. She gasped as she saw the tip of the sword sticking out of Kidd's chest. He smiled. "You're okay…" The enemy pulled out his sword and Kidd collapsed onto Kashi. Blood soaked through his black and white suit, and dripped onto Kashi. Kashi's eyes filled with tears as she rolled him off her and hovered over him, trying to take in the reality of what had just happened. All she could do was scream as he tried to smile up at her; blood trickling from the side of his mouth, seeping from his wound in his chest, and his hand grasping onto hers.

"KIDD!"

Naomi blinked away the blur in her vision as she heard the painful scream of her friend. Pink hair filled her vision, and he found herself unable to breathe. "N-Natsu? Why are you hugging me so tight?" He sighed, his grip loosening. "Thank God, I brought you back…Don't ever do that to me again." Natsu collapsed to the floor, and Naomi blinked in confusion. She quickly kneeled next to Natsu, and tapped him on the cheek. "Hey! Natsu, are you okay?!" She tore her gaze away from Natsu long enough to see the damage around her. Probably three dozen men were dead, and the rest of the guildmates were gone. Reality struck her as she figured what must have happened as the last thing she remembered was protecting Kashi. "Oh no… oh no… Natsu… please tell me you didn't…" Natsu's breathing became shallow, and he managed a painful smile. "I couldn't…lose you…not again…" Naomi grabbed Natsu's scarf and pulled on it. "WHAT ABOUT ME?! I CAN'T LOSE YOU EITHER!" Natsu opened his mouth, and took a deep, staggered breath and whispered.

"I love you…" Taking in the sparkle of Naomi's ocean blue eyes as he had always loved them to remember for all eternity, Natsu exhaled, and ceased to draw another breath. His eyelids closed on his lifeless onyx eyes, and Naomi fell back, tears overflowing. "No... no no…" She suddenly remembered Kashi, and knowing Natsu couldn't be brought back now, ran over to her friend.

The sword had pierced through his lung, and he was quickly drowning in his own blood. Kashi sobbed and had wrapped both of her hands around one of his. Her forehead was resting on his, and he was whispering into her ear. Naomi watched in horror. Kidd weakly brought up his free hand to caress Kashi's cheek. "Hey, don't be sad. You accepted me for who I was… and it was an honor to do the same for you. If I had the chance, I'd do it all over again." Kashi opened her mouth to speak, but only sobbing noises came out. "I love you… dragon or human… I will always love you…" Kashi sobbed as Kidd has tears of his own running down the sides of his face. "Please don't leave me… I love you too…" Kashi managed to speak between hiccups. "You'll be okay." Kashi punched the floor. "But you promised to always be there for me!"

Kidd smiled, and sighed. "I'll always be in your heart Kashi." Kashi watched as the golden eyes she had come to love so dearly shut, and his breaths became too shallow to even notice. Naomi tried using her life force powers to save him, but it was too late. As he took his last breath, she looked at the blood on her hands as she stood up and looked around. She felt the effects of the insanity taking over again. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her and Kashi slapped her hard across the face, bringing her back before the insanity took over. "Don't you dare do that again!" Kashi framed Naomi's face with her two hands. "We need to stick together! For them!" She pointed to their dead lovers, and Naomi nodded. They wrapped an arm around each other and slowly headed for the exit; the last two guards gone off in search of the escaped guildmates instead of staying here to finish them off. As the two reached the door leading into the hall, Naomi looked back to Natsu and Kidd, and suddenly remembered a very forbidden magic. She stopped in her tracks. "Kashi… you might hate me for this… but there's something I need to do." The redhead let go of Kashi and ran over to Natsu, dragging him over to Kidd's side. Naomi sat by their heads, and placing a hand on each head, starting pouring her life force into both of them. Kashi ran over, and yelled at Naomi. "You idiot! You'll kill yourself! Besides, you don't have enough to completely heal both of them!" Naomi nodded, her nose starting to bleed profusely, dripping onto her knees. "I know… but my life should be enough to bring them back long enough to get them the treatment they need to live!"

Kashi shook Naomi out of the spell. Naomi cried to her friend. "I can't let them die!" Kashi nodded. "I know… but I have an idea." Naomi watched as Kashi offered a hand to Naomi. She looked at her in confusion. "I'm a dragon, remember? I have a few extra human lives to spare in this body." Naomi smiled, tears falling from both of their eyes. "Okay."

Naomi placed one hand on Kashi's head, and hovered the other over the two men's heads. With a bright white light, Naomi sucked life force out of Kashi, taking hundreds of her dragon years off of her life to bring back the two men they loved the most. Minutes passed, and Naomi and Kashi both grew weak. "What if it's not enough?" Naomi questioned. "It's enough…trust me." Kashi responded. Naomi's blue eyes looked over Kashi, who was obviously in worse shape than Naomi was. Sweat covered her face, and she began to shake. "What if you die?" Kashi shook her head. "I won't."

Just as Naomi was about to give up on the forbidden magic, both men sat up abruptly and started coughing. Naomi gasped and halted the spell, and looked them over. They were both alive, and neither of them were bleeding or weak. She turned to her friend, eyes gleaming. "Kashi! We did it!" Kashi smiled weakly before collapsing herself onto the floor. Naomi quickly checked for a pulse, and sighed when she found she was alive, just deprived of magic power. She turned away from Kashi and glomped Natsu, who was still coughing. "You're alive! Natsu, you're alive!" Natsu looked around, and frowned. "Where the hell did everybody go?" Naomi laughed at Natsu's oblivious nature, and Kidd patted himself down, and looked at Naomi with a questioning gaze. "How am I alive?" Naomi smiled, hugging Natsu. "Kashi gave up her extra dragon years for you guys." She pointed to Kashi, and Kidd propped up her head in his lap. Naomi chuckled. "She'll be okay. She just needs some rest." Kidd let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and smiled, golden eyes gleaming down at Kashi.

"You idiot."


	39. 38: It's No Secret

**Chapter 38**

 **"It's No Secret"**

 **Song: Safe and Sound, Taylor Swift "I said I'll never let you go…no one can hurt you now."**

Kidd was the first to exit the tower, carrying a passed-out Kashi in his arms. The members of the guild who had escaped earlier were waiting outside, hoping for their guildmates to be alive. Some sighs of relief were heard when they saw at least one of their friends was okay; however, Kidd and Kashi's appearance was overlooked by Erza and Lucy. Erza watched the entrance with horror as she expected the worst for her sister, and Lucy was staring wide-eyed, praying for Natsu to walk out. Kidd joined the group, and when he lay Kashi down in the grass, Wendy took to his side and started healing her.

Levy held tightly to Gajeel's arm, and glanced over to Lucy, and shook her head. She loved her friend, but hated seeing her chasing a man whose heart was already taken by someone else. Juvia held Gray's hand as he tensed, waiting to see if his best friend would exit the tower. Once Kidd knew Kashi was in good hands with Wendy, he stood up and walked over to stand face-to-face with Erza. He broke her attention from the door, and he saw the fear twinkling in her eyes. "What happened?" She whispered, looking down at the blood on his clothes. "It's a long story for the way home. But the important thing is everyone is okay, even Naomi and Natsu."

Erza sighed, and hearing Natsu's name she snapped out of her concentration and turned to Kidd. "Natsu? Is he okay?" Kidd nodded. "He'll be out soon." Lucy nodded, her stomach tightening as guilt took over for not bothering to ask about Naomi. She didn't feel guilty enough to actually ask, though. Gajeel saw the blood on Kidd as he turned away from Erza to look back at Kashi. "Are you okay man?" Kidd nodded, and whispered. "Thanks to her…"

Gajeel was about to ask Kidd to repeat himself when voices coming from the tower stole everyone's attention. The silence nearly revealed the skip in everyone's heartbeat as Natsu appeared, smiling like a dork and pulling along a tear-faced, smiling Naomi. Erza let herself exhale and a tear rolled down her cheek. Grey looked to the sky as he held back tears of his own, and he gripped tightly on Juvia's hand, making her smile. Levy smiled, and Gajeel nodded his approval of his fellow dragon slayer. Wendy smiled before turning her attention back to Kashi. Natsu saw his friends and ran over, pulling Naomi along with him. He looked around and stopped short when he noticed Happy still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Wendy's eyes seemed a little sad, and Charle was also missing. Natsu's smile vanished. "Where's happy?" Erza shook her head. "We don't know where either of the exceeds are. Neither of them were with us when we awoke in the tower." Natsu clenched his fist and Naomi tightened her grip on his hand. "Hey, we'll find them. I'm sure they're okay."

Natsu nodded, still worried for his little buddy. Naomi met eyes with Lucy for a moment, and swore she saw a flash of hatred in her brown eyes. It was soon forgotten when she saw the relief in Erza's eyes, and she let go of Natsu's hand to give her big sister a hug. Erza wrapped her arms around her sister and smiled. "I thought you weren't going to make it that time." Naomi chuckled. "Way to have faith in me, Erza!" Naomi's smile faded, and she looked over to Natsu. "Honestly though, I don't think I would have if it weren't for Natsu." Erza gazed approvingly at the pink haired idiot, who was now poking at Kashi's unconscious face, which was much unapproved by Kidd and Wendy both. "So, what happened in there? Kidd made it sound pretty complicated." Naomi nodded, her blue eyes flashing fear in remembrance to what she had witnessed. "In short, Kashi has nine lives like a cat and used my powers to give them all up to bring these two idiots back to life."

Erza shook her head in confusion. "They almost died?" Naomi sighed. "Something like that." Erza squinted, knowing she didn't get the whole story. Naomi saw the judgement in her eyes. "I want Kashi to pitch in for story time. You'll know all the details soon enough." Even though it bothered Erza to have information withheld from her, Naomi had a point. Whatever happened in there involved Kashi as much as anyone else, and she deserved to at least be awake to tell her side of it all.

Lucy took her chance to have a minute with Natsu while Naomi was busy. She walked over to him after Kidd pulled him away from Kashi, and once Natsu gave up on "trying to wake her up" he turned and half-smiled at Lucy. "Hey, Luce…"

He opened his mouth to start talking, but Lucy cut in before he had the chance. "No… Natsu, listen, I'm sorry. I was jealous… I remember when you would run to save me like that… and it hurts." The remnants of Natsu's smile faded and he felt in his gut the need to shut up and listen for once. "It was wrong of me to try and stop you. I know nobody can do that, honestly. And even when I first met you I knew… I knew that your heart belonged to Naomi." Lucy started to tear up, and Natsu just stood there. "And it always works out, right? You can do something incredibly stupid and yet manage to make it out alright. I should have learned by now to have faith in you. And I'm sorry that I didn't today." Natsu rubbed the back of his head and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Friends?"

Lucy outstretched a hand, and Natsu couldn't help but see her guild mark and remember that she got it in his hair color because he got her to join. He had shared so many memories with this girl… and she was there for him when Naomi couldn't be. He could never forget her, nor repay her for what she did for him, and yet it had to end like this. Not for him, but for her. He smiled from his memories; mouth outstretched in his usual goofy smile. He took her hand in his and shook it firmly. "Forever!" Lucy smiled through her tears, and Natsu watched her walk off to join Levy and Gajeel.

Naomi watched as her man and good friend shook hands. Once Lucy walked away, she brushed aside some of her red hair and walked up to Natsu, having finished her conversation with Erza a minute prior. "Did you two get everything settled?" Natsu shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what her problem was." Naomi shook her head and punched Natsu playfully in the shoulder. "You're such a dummy." Natsu messed up Naomi's hair and smiled. "But yeah. We're good now." She smiled, and pecked Natsu on the cheek. He looked away, pretending not to care, when Gray finally got the nerve to come talk with Natsu. "

"Hey. What took you guys so long to get out here anyway?" Gray stated in a passive attempt at showing that he was concerned. Naomi glared at Natsu, and he hid behind Gray. Naomi sighed. "Well…"

 _~Kidd only took a moment of silence to thank the heavens for their survival before picking up Kashi and announcing that he was going to take her to see Wendy. Natsu and Naomi sat on the ground together, and Natsu watched him leave. Naomi began to sob into his scarf, which took Natsu off guard. He put his hands on her shoulders and patted her gently. "Hey, what's wrong?" Naomi clenched her fists, raised her head so her blue eyes met his onyx ones and began hitting him with her fists. Natsu put up his arms defensively, and was terribly confused. "Hey hey! What are you doing, ow!" Naomi's ugly crying didn't stop._

 _"You…you you you… don't ever die again! You shouldn't have even died the FIRST time you IDIOT!" Natsu grabbed Naomi's hands and held them still so she couldn't hit him anymore. "Hey, you're fine, I'm fine, everyone's fine! What are you so worked up about?" Naomi practically growled at him. "You were just fine and dandy with leaving me here all by myself, weren't you?!" Natsu shook his head. "Everything always works out, doesn't it?" Naomi tried shaking her hands free so she could punch him again. "But what if it hadn't?! You would be dead right now!"_

 _"Hey…" Natsu tried to talk to Naomi, but she kept rambling and trying to shake her hands free. "HEY!" Natsu yelled at Naomi, and she stopped, surprised that he would raise his voice at her. She looked into his eyes, and only saw kindness and love. He brought his voice down to a whisper and smiled. "I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere." Naomi's eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand. I watched you die. And it was my fault." Natsu cupped Naomi's head with his rough hands and wiped away a tear with one of his thumbs. "It wasn't your fault because you weren't in control; besides, you brought me back, and that makes it even, doesn't it?"_

 _Naomi sighed and closed her eyes. "I suppose… but without Kashi I wouldn't have…" Natsu leaned his forehead against hers. "You know you would have done the same for me." Naomi opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again knowing she couldn't. She just sat there, touching foreheads with Natsu. She chuckled, and he glanced up at her, an eyebrow raised. "You should have been dead fifty times over the last ten years, and when you finally keeled over you didn't even stay dead."_

 _Natsu scrunched his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Naomi smiled. "It means you're stubborn, clueless, and idiotic. At some point, I need to accept that you're never going to change." He looked off to the side with a grumpy expression, and she tugged on his scarf. "But I'm kind of the same way. So, in a way, we're even." Natsu smiled while trying to keep his grumpy face, and the contorted result made Naomi laugh. He laughed with her and took her by surprise by wrapping her in a big hug. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back. "Just be a little more careful next time?"_

 _Natsu nodded, taking a deep breath of the smell of her hair. Naomi shook her head and pulled out of the hug. Natsu smiled his usual goofy smile. "Let's go home- I'm hungry!" She hit him again as he stood up, and helped Naomi to her feet. He looked around and shrugged. "Well, another adventure over already." Naomi playfully smiled. "With you around, every day is an adventure."_

 _Natsu grabbed her hand, and dragged her towards the exit. "Well let's get home so we can start another adventure tomorrow!" She smiled as she saw a flash of his grin before he turned his head away from her to lead the way out.~_

Gray shook his head, his black eyes judging Natsu as he tried to justify his actions, while Naomi had given up on arguing. "I totally understand where Naomi is coming from though. How do you deal with this idiot?" Gray asked Naomi, but never got an answer as Natsu butted heads with his friend. "Who you callin' idiot, pervert!?"

Naomi shrugged the two off and walked away, heading a few feet over to Kashi. At this point Wendy had done all she could for her; all they could do was give her time to regain her strength. After updating Naomi, Wendy joined Lucy, Levy, and Juvia as they watched Gajeel join in Gray and Natsu's fight, while Erza warned them she would knock them out herself if they woke up Kashi before she had fully rested. Her blue eyes looked down at her friend; a little bruised and extremely weakened, but honestly not worse for wear considering what she had just lost. She didn't know how Kashi would react when she woke up; she wasn't exactly 'all there' when the spell was successful. For all she knew, Kidd was still dead. Naomi moved her gaze over to Kidd, who was sitting in the grass next to Kashi. His focus was on her face; waiting to see those gorgeous green eyes again. Naomi cleared her throat, and he looked up at Naomi for a second, and moved his gaze back to Kashi. He gently pushed a strand of red hair out of the unconscious girl's face. Naomi smiled. "If you need anything just ask; I want you to be the first person she sees when she wakes up." Kidd shot a thankful glance in Naomi's direction. "Thank you." She nodded, and joined the other girls to watch the boys fight.

A few hours had passed and the sun was starting to set down past the trees. The clearing the group sat in was bathed in shadows, and Kashi hadn't moved a single muscle. Everybody but Kidd had fallen asleep while waiting for Kashi to come around; and even he was beginning to feel his eyelids get heavier. Those hours felt like days, and dying apparently took more energy than he would like to admit. He had even made a small braid in Kashi's hair trying to keep himself awake.

Just as Kidd's eyes managed to shut out all the light, quiet sobs could be heard next to him. His eyes shot open, and saw Kashi was crying in her sleep. He placed a hand on her head to feel for a temperature, and she did have a small fever. He tapped on her shoulder and lightly shook her as her sleep-sobbing became louder and tears escaped her closed eyelids. "Hey, Kashi, wake up…" After a few light shakes, Kashi's eyes opened a crack, and she looked around, eventually landing her teary green eyes on Kidd. As he smiled, her crying became worse. She rolled over away so she couldn't see Kidd, and rolled herself into a sobbing ball. Kidd tried rubbing her back to calm her down, but she twisted her head around to glare at him and swatted his hand away. "No! You don't get to comfort me; you're not real!"

Kidd looked at the bundle of emotions with a sad smile. "Kashi, I'm okay. I'm not dead." Kashi turned away from him again and shook her head. "No you're not! You're just a hallucination!" She brought her hands to her head in order to cover her ears from hearing anything more this 'hallucination' would say, and felt the braid in her hair. "What is this?" Kidd chuckled. "I thought you might like it."

Kashi sat up, pulled the braid in front of her face to look at it, and felt around the rest of her head. "But it's not symmetrical…" Kashi glared at Kidd. "I knew it!" She sobbed. "I'm either dreaming or I'm dead. Probably both." Kidd shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kashi, you're not dreaming, the spell worked; everyone's alive and okay!" The girls who were once sleeping a few yards away heard the commotion, and were now quietly observing the pair from their spots. The boys were snoring so loudly they didn't even flinch.

Kashi slapped away his hand and scooted away from him. "No! You can't do this to me!" She covered her face with her hands and let out more tears. "It's not fair! You're dead, so why are you here?!" Kidd attempted to touch Kashi again, but she just pushed him away. Just like when they had first met, when her anxiety owned her, and it hurt him to see her retract back into the shell that he worked so hard to coax her out of. A light popped on in his head. "Kashi, look at me." Hesitantly, she wiped away the tears from her face and took a few deep breaths, and turned her attention to Kidd. She watched him as he lifted his blood-soaked shirt to show the scar the sword had left. "You healed me, see?! Your plan worked, and I'm okay!"

Kashi started sobbing again, tears streaming down her face in an ugly cry. "It's not symmetrical!" Kidd couldn't help but chuckle at her second-hand 'Kidd' personality, and this time when he opened his arms to her, Kashi fell into them, hugging and crying on him at the same time.

Naomi awed, and her voice woke up Natsu. He looked around in a daze for a moment before seeing that Kashi was up, and was about to yell a greeting when Naomi threw a hand over his mouth. She whispered to him. "Don't say a word." He nodded, and joined the watch party.

Kashi nearly fractured one of Kidd's ribs with her iron grip hug. It was partly out of love, but mostly out of anger that she squeezed him so hard. "You promised…" Kidd stroked her hair, and sighed. "And that promise still stands. I haven't gone anywhere yet." Kashi's sobs had quieted only for a moment, and then she was back to full-strength bawling into his shoulder. Her tears caused Kidd's own eyes to tear up. He spoke softly, trying his hardest not to let his voice quiver. "When I saw you fall… I knew it would be you or me." Kashi kept her iron grip around Kidd, but tried quieting her cries so she could hear him. "Something in my gut told me that everything would be okay. Even though I wasn't ready to leave you, I had to. Even if just for a moment." Kashi took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Kidd kept running his fingers through her silvery hair, which seemed to help. "I promise I'll never leave you like that again."

Kidd's smile faded as a question that had been burning at the back of his mind resurfaced. "Is it true you gave up your dragon lifetimes for us?" Kashi nodded. "Life wasn't worth living unless you were in it." Kidd's tears finally spilled, and he hugged Kashi back with all the strength she had earlier. She smiled into his shoulder, and relaxed under the strong, familiar touch. "Thanks for making my life worth living." Now that Kashi had calmed down for the most part, Kidd began to break down, and Kashi's shoulder became his pillow for his own good cry.

Naomi looked over to Natsu with an angry frown. "Why can't you be romantic like that?" Natsu flinched, and slowly raised up his shoulders. Naomi just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Then again, if you did do something like that I would probably wonder who you switched bodies with." Natsu folded his arms and mimicked Naomi, and she hit him on the shoulder, to which he smiled and trapped her in a tight hug and smothered her with kisses as she giggled uncontrollably. Everyone woke up glaring at the two, but smiled and started brushing off the dirt as they stood up, ready to go.

Kashi pulled away from Kidd, and smiled at her friends. "Looks like their awake… we should go." She tried moving to her feet, but she fell over in the process. "I can't feel my butt..." She whispered. Kidd laughed under his breath. "Here, let me get you." Kidd stood, and proceeded to pick her up, causing her to squeak out of embarrassment. "Put me down." Kashi grumbled with a half-frown. Kidd shook his head. "Nope." She sighed heavily, and went limp in his arms. "Fine."

Erza was the first to meet Kidd and Kashi. "Good to see you're awake, Kashi." Kashi lifted her head to see her guildmate. "How are you feeling?" Kashi shrugged. "Fine I guess. Sleeping on something other than a bed made my butt numb, though." Gajeel scoffed. "I'm sorry, your highness. Next time you pass out I'll be sure to build a bed for you." Kashi chuckled. "Shut up, Gaj." Levy poked her head between Erza and Kashi.

"So are you really a dragon?! Are there others like you? I've never read of such a thing being possible! And I'm sorry for eavesdropping but, did you really bring them back to life?" Kashi blinked from the barrage of questions. She was expecting anger from her guildmates, but nobody looked mad. If anything, everyone was glad she was alive and had questions out of curiosity. Kashi smiled. "Where do I even start?"

Juvia wrapped an arm around one of Gray's arms. "Juvia thinks you should start at the beginning." Wendy smiled widely. "Did you know Grandeeney?" Kashi had to blink back tears from the overwhelming acceptance from her guildmates. "No, but I had heard of her."

The sun set below the horizon, and the group had to travel by torchlight. Even though they didn't want to travel at night, it was the best option, considering the other option was stay where they were are risk being found if or when the Achnologia followers came back to their tower. Naomi and Natsu lead the group as Kashi told stories of her past while being carried by Kidd. He listened just as intently as everyone else. Naomi pouted to Natsu. "Why don't you ever carry me?" Natsu smirked. "Do you want me to?" Naomi wasn't expecting that answer OR face from him, and just stuttered. He raised his eyebrows, and before Naomi could even realize what was happening she was thrown over his shoulder unceremoniously. He laughed evilly, and she sighed as everyone in the group turned their attention to the pair and laughed. Naomi glanced at Kashi, and her friend lifted her hands in a shrug.

"Hey, you asked for it."

~Timeskip a day~

The group was walking along the path they had taken for the mission to head back home. It would take a week like last time, or longer, since Kidd opted to carry Kashi, and Naomi was suffering from nosebleeds and dizzy spells. It was understandable, however, because it was the most magic energy she had ever put into a healing spell. Basically, she performed a forbidden magic without ever practicing it, and to be honest, she should be dead. And Kashi had given up an eternity for a mortal life in the process, and her body needed time to adjust.

But she isn't, and nobody else is, either. But they still hadn't found the exceeds. Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily (whom I had completely forgotten about until this point, and I apologize, but will NOT be going back to fix it RIP) had disappeared after the followers of Achnologia drugged and transported the Fairy Tail wizards to the watchtower. The group was just about to take a break for lunch when they saw a mass of people running their direction. There were so many people that the road was full, and it looked like a black worm crawling across the earth. The group stepped off the road to make room, but as the people came closer, they smiled.

Leading the group was Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily. The trio had flown all the way home with super speed and brought back help. Natsu, forgetting about Naomi on his back, started jumping to catch the blue exceed's attention. "HAPPY!" Naomi bounced around on his back, holding on for dear life. The talking cats saw their friends, and yelled. The group would have run towards their guildmates, but with all the bouncing, Naomi passed out and fell to the ground. Natsu stopped his celebrating to look back on his girlfriend, and blinked. "Why is she sleeping on the ground?" Gajeel slapped him on the back of the head. "She passed out, idiot!"

Kidd set down Kashi, since she had some experience with fainting spells, and sat down next to Naomi to feel for a temperature and maybe wake her up. The rest of the tired group turned their attention to the wave of guild mates who were about to pummel them. Happy tackled Natsu, Charle tackled Wendy, and Gajeel tackled Pantherlily. "MY CAATTTT!"

Master Makarov walked up to Erza as the rest of the running mass of guild tried to stop and all began tumbling over one another. "We heard you were in trouble, but it seems you've all made it out okay." Erza nodded, watching her friends console their worried guildmates. "Just barely. Thanks to Naomi and Kashi."

Makarov slowly nodded his head in understanding. "They look pretty wiped out." Erza looked back at her two friends to see that Kashi had passed out alongside Naomi. Erza sighed. "Kidd, Kashi passed out again." Kidd looked over and aw Kashi, and fell to his knees. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! SHE KEEPS PASSING OUT ASYMMETRICALLY! I CAN'T! SHE'S ASYMMETRICAL GARBAGE!"

Lucy shook her head. "You're just lucky Kashi wasn't awake to hear that…"

Natsu glared at Kidd after hugging Happy. "Did you just call Naomi garbage?" Kidd shook his head. "NO! BUT TECHNICALLY SHE IS, TOO!" Natsu's eyes turned to flame, and he clenched his fists. "NOBODY CALLS NAOMI NAMES EXCEPT ME!" Natsu threw a punch and hit Kidd on the cheek. He flew back, and cried. "I'm ASYMMETRICAL GARBAGE! I DESERVE THIS!"

Gajeel crossed his arms. "Yes you do. A man should never insult his lady." Levy smiled, and shook her head as Elman overheard and screamed. "LIKE A REAL MAN!" Makarov turned to Erza, and whispered. "So I assume you all learned about Kashi's true identity?" Erza's eyes widened in surprise. "You knew?"

Makarov nodded. "It took me a few months, but I figured it out soon after she joined. It was suspicious how I had never seen her before, to just suddenly show up without money or family." Erza held her breath. "Are you going to kick her out for it?" Makarov shook his head. "Nah. She makes a good member of the guild. Besides, we have talking cats for members, why not a dragon?"

Erza exhaled, smiling. "She will be very happy to hear that, master."

The people that came to the rescue from the guild had brought along a new cart, and loaded everyone into it, including a bawling Kidd, two passed out ladies, and a furious Natsu. Everytime Kidd looked up and saw Kashi and Naomi passed out, he would start to cry again, and when Natsu saw this he knew he was thinking about how asymmetrical they were, and would get angry because, again, nobody can call Naomi asymmetrical but him.

Suddenly, Naomi groaned. Everyone looked back at her, and her facial expression screamed "miserable." Natsu ran over to her waking body and she looked like she was going to cry. Natsu helped her sit up. "Naomi, you passed out again. Are you okay?" His conserned face and her unexpected answer made the entirety of the guild laugh out loud.

"We still need money for rent…"


	40. 39: Overprotective

**Chapter 39**

 **"Overprotective"**

 **Song: Wouldn't Change a Thing, ? "You can drive me insane, but I can't stay mad at you for anything…"**

"For the last time, Porlyusica said I'll be fine."

Kashi sighed and sat down with the hot pad on her stomach as Kidd fretted about her getting out of bed. "But you weren't supposed to get out of bed, either." The man with the three white stripes in his hair paced back and forth in front of Kashi's new place on the couch. "You can't actually expect me to sit and do nothing for a week." Kidd rubbed his temples in frustration. "How are you supposed to get better if you don't listen?" Kashi rolled her eyes as Kidd continued to freak out on her. "I'm just really worried about you and I don't want anything to happen to you that could be avoided with some rest."

Kashi glared at her boyfriend. "Remember that time you sprained your ankle? You weren't supposed to put any weight on it, yet you would sneak away into the bathroom without your crutch to make sure I folded the toilet paper triangles correctly when I wasn't looking." Kidd folded his arms, and avoided Kashi's stern green gaze. "You could have been walking normally in a week, but thanks to your OCD and your lack of faith in my folding skills, you were stuck on crutches for a month."

Kidd ran a hand through his hair. "But that was just an ankle; it wasn't a big deal." Kashi raised her voice. "It was a big deal to me! I wanted to make sure you got better, but you made it worse. I just got up to get something for my stomachache, and then I laid back down. Where's the harm?" Kidd sat down next to Kashi and placed a hand on her knee. "You should have just asked me to get the heating pad for you." Kashi groaned. "You shouldn't have to do everything for me. Besides, I needed a change in scenery or I was going to explode."

Kidd smiled at her, his golden eyes twinkling. "It's only been a day." He took one of her hands in his and gently squeezed it. "Besides, I want to take care of you." Kashi smiled back. "Thank you. But really, I'm fine." Kidd sighed, and his serious face came out. Kashi frowned, unsure of what he was thinking. He fixed his eyes on their entwined hands. "I just don't see how giving up part of your life for me 'isn't a big deal'."

Kashi brushed a red bang out of her face, hoping to avoid the question. Kidd noticed that she had no intention of speaking, and continued talking. "This is all really sudden for me… to find out you were basically an immortal being until last week, and then I died, and you gave up that eternity to bring me back…" Kashi scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself… it wasn't just you that I saved remember." Kidd looked up and saw her eyes were playful and she wore a small smirk on her lips. He sighed. "Your life is very important to me. And even though it wasn't any different before, to me at least, now that you are just as mortal as the rest of us you need to be more careful."

Kashi nodded. "I know. But you do too; you lost your immortality when you decided to stay here with me. And the only reason I made the decision that I did was because an eternity without you wouldn't even be worth living." Kidd smiled, and Kashi squeezed his hand. "So don't worry so much; I'm not going anywhere as long as you're still here."

Kidd nodded, happy with his answer. He turned around and looked at the clock. It was 10:30 in the morning. "I'm going to go get some groceries really quick so I can make lunch." He turned back to Kashi. "Promise me you won't leave this couch?" She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Okayyyy." She said, and he shook his head, getting up from his seat on the couch. "I'll be back in about an hour." Kashi nodded, and watched Kidd as he grabbed his wallet and waved on his way out the front door.

She groaned, slowly standing up. She sneaked over to the window and watched Kidd walk down the street until he was out of sight. She switched her gaze to the other direction and her eyes locked on the Guild Hall in the distance. "Sorry Kidd… but a lot can happen in a day, and I need to see what everyone's up to!" She trotted to the bathroom to take a quick 5 minute shower, popped an advil to help ease her achy muscles, threw on her favorite sweatshirt and made her way to the guild hall.

~~~Switcheroo~~~

Natsu carried Naomi on his back as he hiked to the town over, where his latest mission was located. Naomi sighed, enjoying the ride yet still confused as to why she was forced to come with him. "Porlyusica said I should rest for a couple weeks." Natsu groaned. "Yeah yeah, I know. But we needed money for rent, and I didn't want to leave you at home by yourself." The redhead messed up her boyfriend's pink spikes. "You'll only be gone for a day." Natsu tilted his head back to make eye contact with her. "Porlyusica also said I needed to keep my eye on you; so that's what I'll do." Naomi chuckled. "Since when do you listen to anybody?" Natsu scrunched his nose. "Ah ha. I listen when I need to!"

Natsu turned his attention back onto the road, and Naomi shook her head. "I'm positive that everyone in the guild would like to disagree with that statement." He scrunched his eyebrows. "Hey!" The two came over a rise in the road and saw the town in front of them. Naomi put on a 'not bad' face. "That was quick."

We could get back before nightfall! Let's go!" Natsu started running, making quite the bumpy ride for Naomi. She screamed and held on for dear life. It was only for a minute, though, for Natsu entered the city hall building that was only a few blocks from the city entrance, and the receptionist recognized him by one look at his guild mark. Natsu set down Naomi, and she stretched. After a minute of waiting, the mayor appeared from down a hallway and made his way to the couple. Natsu smelled something familiar about the mayor, but didn't think too far into it. The man, whose blonde hair was streaked with grey, seemed strong for being in his mid-seventies. He extended a hand, and Natsu shook it politely, mainly because Naomi would have hit him if he didn't. He extended a greeting to Naomi, and she also accepted it. The mayor smiled. His voice was raspy. "Thank goodness you're here. I have something for you to do."

He led Naomi and Natsu down a corridor into his office, shut the door behind them, and offered the two a seat, which Naomi gladly took. Natsu stayed standing. The man hobbled to his desk and unlocked a drawer, then began to speak. "Thank you for accepting this mission for me. I need you to drop off this briefcase at a previously undisclosed location at exactly 1:15pm. Do you understand?" Natsu grinned from ear to ear, and reached for the briefcase. "Sure man! Where do you need me to drop it off?" Naomi tugged on Natsu's shirt, and looked at the man worriedly. "This sounds like an illegal exchange. Will Natsu be in any danger?"

The mayor laughed with a suspiciously guilty tone. "Oh, nothing a member of Fairy Tail can't handle. As long as he follows the directions exactly, nothing should happen." Natsu took the briefcase and a note that held the location he was supposed to drop it off at. Natsu headed for the door, and Naomi was about to get up and follow him when he turned around to look at the mayor. "Hey, is it okay if she stays here? She's supposed to be resting, and I don't need her to get in the way." Naomi gasped. "Rude!" The mayor just smiled. "Of course; anything for a valued member of Fairy Tail."

Natsu nodded, and shot a quick toothy grin to his flustered red head. "This will only take an hour, I'll be back before you know it!" Naomi opened her mouth to argue, but Natsu had already shot off down the hall, out of sight and out of earshot. Naomi sighed, and the mayor pulled out a chess board. "May I have a game?" Naomi smirked, thinking back to the days that Ciel had taught her how to play, and consequently beat him. "Don't be sorry if you lose!" She scooted her chair in closer to his desk, the kind old man sat down in his own chair and started setting up the pieces.

While Naomi started her game of chess with the mayor, Natsu scratched his head as he stopped outside the city hall to read the note containing the drop-off location. "Cavalier Park, slide under the trashcan to the right of the mayor statue. Remember; do so between 1:15pm and 1:20pm…" Natsu crumpled the note and slid it into his jacket pocket and shrugged. "Well this is an easy 3 million yen." He got to the destination, and it was 1:10pm. Natsu found the statue and the appropriate trashcan, looked around to make sure nobody saw him, and slipped the case beneath it. He re-read the note to make sure he had it right, saw the time difference and shrugged. "Close enough; what's five minutes gunna do."

Natsu sighed having completed his mission, and started walking away. He didn't see the man who had been hiding up in a nearby tree drop down and retrieve the case and walk away as if he had it the entire time. 1:20 rolled around and another man walked up to the can, and reached for the briefcase, and it wasn't there. With a face of rage, he telecommunicated to his boss. "He stood us up. Send them in."

Naomi had just beaten the mayor in their first round of chess, and saw that Natsu should be on his way back by now. She smiled, and started setting up the pieces again. "We should have time for one more if you would like?" The mayor nodded, enjoying the company. Just as Naomi was going to make her first move, the picture window behind her shattered, and a man in black jumped in and started firing his gun at them. Naomi screamed and ducked, and the mayor hid beneath his desk. "I sent the money! Leave me alone!" The enemy man overlooked Naomi and pulled the mayor out from under the desk. He cowered, sweat beading up on his brow. "Where's the money?" The mayor shook his head. "I sent it, I swear! A pink haired mage of Fairy Tail dropped it off!" The man pressed a finger to his ear and relayed the information. Once his boss responded, he threw the mayor down on the ground and pointed his gun at him. "It seems your rat deposited the case at the wrong time, and someone else picked it up."

The mayor's eyes went wide, and he pleaded for his life. "I can't afford to pay you again! Please don't hurt me!" Naomi felt herself tense; and knew she had to take the man out when the receptionist furiously knocked on the door, trying to enter to find what had made the commotion. She crawled around the desk, and just as the man was going to pull the trigger and kill the mayor, Naomi slapped a hand over his mouth and used the other to disarm the man. A shot fired into the wall. It only took a minute of concentration and the man went limp in her arms. She let him drop to the floor. The mayor stared at her in fear. "You killed him?!" She shook her head. "No… he'll just be unconscious for a few hours." Suddenly her head got lighter, and she felt something run down her face. She brought a hand to her face, and when she pulled away she saw blood. The mayor stood up, and offered her a tissue. "Oh my… that's a bad nosebleed miss."

She clutched to the corner of the desk as her ears started ringing and black started surrounding the edges of her vision. She heard a thud through the echoes of her hearing, and looked up to see Natsu had broken down the door to the mayors office. She saw him rush towards her, but fell to the ground in an unconscious heap before he could reach her.

The mayor was worried for the girl, but yelled at Natsu as the enemy man Naomi had taken down was drug to the prison. Natsu turned to the old man; his eyes slits, tearing, and clearly pissed off. "WILL YOU SHUT UP? I need to get her back to my guild!"

Natsu picked up Naomi bridal style and left the building having failed the job anyway. Much to his discomfort he grabbed a horse-drawn taxi and boarded it with Naomi, paying the lady driving it to take them to Fairy Tail ASAP. It took everything he had to keep himself from throwing up on the ride, but instead of a three hour walk, it only took a half hour ride. Naomi was somewhat conscious when they arrived, but she still couldn't hear properly. Natsu thanked the kind lady for the ride, and busted the doors open to the guild, calling out for the nurse.

"PORLYUSICA!"

~~~Switcher no Switching; also an hour or so in the past~~~

Kashi found herself annoyingly out of breath from the ten minute walk to the guild. Technically she hadn't properly walked since over a week ago. It was then she had been hurt, couldn't stand and the group needed to travel back to the guild, and Kidd wouldn't let her walk even if she could. Then she spent two days under Porlyusica's care, and then was carried home by Kidd who made her go straight to bed. She couldn't tell if it was the magic that put her in such a poor state, or the lack of exercise. She liked to think it was the lack of movement, because, let's face it, you couldn't pay her to exercise. Her muscles really ached though, and her stomach especially hurt. But the medicine should be kicking in soon, so she smiled through it anyway.

She pried open the door to the guild and was greeted by her guildmates. Gray was the closest to her, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you supposed to be home resting?" Kashi groaned over-dramatically. "Kidd's been babying me for over a week. I needed some space." Mirajane was behind the bar, saw that Kashi was gripping at her side, and offered her a seat. "Does Kidd know you're here?" Kashi shook her head and giggled. "Of course not. He went out for groceries, so I snuck out. So I can't stay long."

Mira grabbed Kashi a glass of water, and she took it gladly. Her guildmates had been getting pieces of the story while she's been recovering, and had a bunch of questions. Laxus was visiting, and he leaned on the counter, facing Kashi. "So I hear you're a dragon?" Anyone who hadn't noticed Kashi walk in were suddenly aware of her presence, and huddled around for story time. She sighed, knowing she needed to be quick, but owed her guildmates the full explanation. Mira smiled, and got another glass of water ready, and stopped cleaning the bar so she could stay and listen, too. Elfman took a seat next to Kashi. "I hear you handled that battle like a real man!" Kashi laughed, something she hadn't been able to do properly since Kidd as hovering over her. "So you guys know how I always called Natsu my little nephew but never explained how? Well, I'm his dragon Igneel's little sister." Oos and Aahs were heard as she started telling her life story. Grown men sat with their legs crossed like little children as she smiled, describing where she came from and how she got to where she was.

She stood up to replicate the movements from the battle, waving her arms with invisible swords and fake magic. "So here I was, about to beat up on this guy, and I stepped back and tripped over the last guy I killed!" Gasps were heard, and she went to replicate the movement of the man who was attacking her when her stomach seized up. She winced, and wrapped an arm around herself. Mira watched her attempt to straighten back out, and her eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay? Maybe you should sit." Kashi nodded, pushing back the pain. "Yeah, I'll sit in a minute, it's the best part." She told how she could almost see in slow motion when the sword came down on her, only to have Kidd save her. Tears formed in Elfman's eyes. "He saved you like a real man!"

She started telling about how Naomi helped her give up her infinite dragon years to bring the boys back to life, when the doors slammed open with a loud crack. Everyone snapped their heads to see who it was, and moved back to Kashi with looks of "oh shit" when they saw who it was. Her green eyes moved to see an extremely angry boyfriend. She could see the fire in his golden eyes from across the hall, and felt his fury. She shrieked in surprised and tried to run to the back room, only to get caught on one of the barstools and fall to the floor with a thud. Her stomach seized again, and she curled into a ball to counter the pain. She looked up at Mira, who shook her head at her. "I failed, didn't I?" Mira nodded, and everyone backed away, sad that she didn't get to finish the story. Kidd stomped over to Kashi, and rubbed her back to help loosen her muscles. "I looked everywhere for you! Do you realize how worried I was?"

Kashi sighed. "I'm sorry! I was planning on being back before you got home." Kidd held back his rage. "It's almost two." Kashi blinked. "Oh."

Kashi's pain dulled down and Kidd helped her back onto her feet. "You're going straight back to bed." Kashi sighed again, this time nodding her head, the pain in her stomach causing lightheadedness, and not enough energy to complain. "Okay."

Porlyusica exited from the infirmary in the back of the guild and was enraged when she saw Kashi. "What are you doing out of bed! Do you realize how critical it is for you to stay resting?!" Kidd glanced at Kashi, concerned. "I tried to keep her in bed, but she wouldn't listen to me." Kashi shrugged. "I didn't think it was a big deal…"

Porlyusica raised her hand to slap Kashi, but held herself back. "You fool! Right now, the magic you used to give up your extra years is still active. If you don't stay resting, your body won't be able to keep up, and the magic will try and use more years off your life to heal you quicker."

Kidd gripped on to Kashi's shoulder, and she winced. "Well why didn't you tell me that?!" Kashi exclaimed. Porlyusica brought a hand to her face in frustration. "I shouldn't HAVE to tell you!" She moved her hands to Kashi's face and examined her eyes and lymph nodes. "It doesn't look like you've caused yourself any harm yet… but guessing from the amount of pain you are having, it won't take much before you find yourself technically twenty years older than you actually are."

Kashi gulped, feeling the hot judgmental gaze from Kidd. "Will you listen to me now?!" She gathered enough courage to make eye contact with Kidd, and saw his eyes were filled with worry and fear. Kashi now felt extremely bad, and nodded slightly, looking away, feeling tears come to her eyes for ignoring him, when all he was trying to do was help. Porlyusica continued to glare as she ordered Kashi to go home and leave the bed only for bathroom breaks. "I trust Kidd to take care of you, and you should too."

Kashi blinked away tears from her embarrassment and guilt, and nodded, letting Kidd lead her towards the entrance of the guild. She was just about to be picked up when a horse neighed from outside, and she heard Natsu's scream just as the doors flung open.

"PORLYUSICA!" The old annoyed nurse hadn't even left the main hall when her attention was brought to a distressed Natsu carrying a half-conscious Naomi. She was forced to hold back a flurry of pretty words. "What happened?" Natsu rushed to her side, and Porlyusica looked her over. "She used her magic, didn't she?" Natsu nodded, afraid to speak for his voice would crack and tears would flow. "It's my fault… I brought her with me to protect her." The nurse looked over Naomi again and had Natsu bring her into the infirmary where she used xray magic to see into her brain. Kidd and Kashi had joined Natsu's side to see what was happening with their friend. Porlyusica sighed. "Naomi is suffering the side effects of using her magic on such a grand scale, from the revivals." Naomi and Kidd glanced at each other, and gulped. "Her magic is extremely unstable right now. She could have fallen into a coma and never woken up." Natsu breathed heavily, holding back tears with his hand clenched around Naomi's. "She was extremely lucky this time. Her brain is inflamed, and a few blood vessels ruptured. Nothing serious that I can't fix. But I stress that she can NOT use her magic until I say so." Natsu nodded, and Kidd squeezed his shoulder in support. Natsu smiled in thanks. Porlyusica glared at the men. "I thought you two were reckless, but your women are equally so." Kashi blushed and looked down at her feet. "Let this be a lesson for you to never argue with me again, got it?" The three nodded, and Naomi nodded as well. Natsu looked down on her with a smile.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naomi nodded, looking around to get her bearings. "What happened?" Natsu sighed. "You used your magic and caused some problems. But you'll be okay." She smiled, and upon closing her eyes fell asleep. Kashi sighed, and Kidd met her eyes with all seriousness. "You heard her… it's time to go home." She nodded in silence, and Kidd said goodbye to Natsu, leading Kashi out of the room and leaving him to stay by Naomi's bedside alone with Porlyusica. She sighed, having been completely fed up with this guild already. "I would like her to stay here to keep an eye on her recovery for a few days." Natsu nodded, and bent down to give Naomi a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back soon." Naomi smiled in her sleep, and Natsu left her to sleep in peace.

About a week later Porlyusica had given Naomi strict orders to not use her magic until further notice, which could be a few months from now. She sighed, knowing Natsu would have to find rent money on his own for a while, which honestly scared her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and slowly walked with her as she was finally allowed to go back home. "Are you feeling okay? Can I get you anything to eat? Are you thirsty? Can I get you anything at all?" Natsu was going far out of his way to make sure Naomi was comfortable. She didn't need to be taken care of, she just needed to lay off the magic, but Natsu made sure she didn't need to do anything unececary anyway. The two arrived home and Naomi sat on the couch. "Natsu, I'm fine. Thank you." Natsu sat next to her, pulled her up into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She rolled her eyes and turned her head to give him a kiss. Natsu held her tight. "I don't know what I would do if I had lost you." Naomi frowned at the comment. "And it was my fault, too. I'm sorry." Naomi turned around in his embrace, and faced him.

"Natsu…thank you for being so kind and taking care of me." The two exchanged a long kiss, and Naomi smiled. "It's nice to be cared for once in a while." The two cuddled on their couch, happy for the company and the excuse to stay home and rest.

Meanwhile, back at Kidd and Kashi's place, Kashi was going stir-crazy staying in bed all day, and Kidd made sure she didn't have to get out for anything but bathroom breaks. Her days consisted of laying with her arms folded in anger as Kidd looked after her. Whenever he wasn't cooking or grabbing her something to do, he would spend half of his time lying in bed with her to keep her company, and the other half of the time making fun of her. He would get up for stupid things, and would announce every time he did something. "It's really nice to be able to stretch your legs and grab yourself something to drink, isn't it? Oh, right, you can't." Kashi's eyes were sore from the amount of glaring she had done over the past week. He had even gotten Elfman to get the groceries for him so he didn't have to leave the house, "like a real man would" while taking care of his girl.

But still, every time he hopped into bed and snuck a kiss onto Kashi's cheek, she couldn't help but blush and smile at him. "Really, it's your own fault you're still here." He would say. And she couldn't argue, because he was right. At least she didn't make her situation worse over something stupid like toilet paper as he had…

When she stopped to think about it, she was happy she had gone to the guild that day. Because without getting in trouble with Porlyusica, she wouldn't have been able to spend this stupid quality time with Kidd… and honestly, she loved this stupid quality time.

After all, it brought out Kidd's inner asshole, and Natsu's inner romantic. And THAT in itself… was priceless.


	41. 40: To the Past! A Dragon's Ritual

**Chapter 40**

 **"To the Past! A Dragon's Ritual"**

 **Song: Us, Regina Spektor "We're living in a den of thieves, rummaging for answers in the pages, and it's contagious."**

The Dragon Slayers (and dragon) of the Fairy Tail guild and their partners created a rhythm of flipping pages as they all sat in the world's biggest library, each with a large pile of books on either side of them at their individual tables. Makarov had ordered everyone to take a break from missions for the month so each one would be able to celebrate the annual Magnolia festival. But until that day came, the group had made their own mission. Their destination and location was the grand library of the council. Their objective?

Dragons; they were looking for more information about dragons. If there was any hint at all about where they disappeared to around 400 years ago, the group was determined to find it. Naomi put books back on the shelves as they yielded no results, and Natsu skimmed over the spines they hadn't taken down to look for any "dragon" titles they might have missed. Gajeel, Wendy, Kidd, and Kashi each had a long table that they sat at, flipping through the pages looking for any word about dragons they hadn't already heard, while Levy had her own table filled with books that contained stories about dragons, but needed to be deciphered before they could be read.

This had been the only library that Fairy Tail didn't have access to… but with special permission from (council member) as thanks for taking out his trash every day for five years, he allowed the group once-in-a-lifetime access to the council's very sensitive information under the promise that any information learned that doesn't pertain to dragons must be kept secret. That's why Natsu wasn't allowed to flip through the books.

They had all been there for eight hours, and it was getting dark outside. They might need to spend the night. Kashi flopped her head down on the desk with a loud thud. "I'm done. Nap time." She brought her arms up and framed her head, and closed her eyes. Gajeel dropped the book he was working on and glared at her. "HEY! If I don't get to take a nap, neither do you!" Wendy sighed, still flipping through her current book. "A break would be nice…"

Kidd stayed out of the conversation, and just continued to search. Levy didn't stop to look up from the book she was flipping through, but did manage to respond. "(council member) allowed us to come here once and only once. If there is anything here, we need to find it now, or we never will." Natsu groaned and sat down on the floor, folding his arms and legs. "Why don't I get to learn any of the juicy information like you guys?" Naomi scoffed. "Because you don't know how to keep your mouth shut…" Natsu's eyes turned to slits. "WHAT?!"

Levy raised a hand. "Guys! I've got something here. Give me just one more minute to finish deciphering it, but this is new information to me." Naomi put the book in her hand back on its rightful place on the shelf as everyone marked their pages within their books and got out of their chairs to surround Levy; watching as her magic powers deciphered the book in her brain.

A minute later she had finished deciphering the page she was on. "Once every twenty years, dragons would participate in what was called a…. uh, I do believe it says "The Dragon's Ritual" in which dragons from around the world would gather around a large bonfire where older dragons would meet up with their mates, and young dragons would go on a quest to find one. The last known "Dragon's Ritual" was in XXXX…." (I'm too lazy to math) Naomi counted in her head. "That means this year there would have been one. Imagine, all the dragons in one place."

Levy flipped the next page and started deciphering, reading off important bits as she went along. "It seems that this would be the only day in fifty years that dragons would procreate... so this day was necessary to continuing the species as a whole." Natsu scratched his head. "What's procreate?" Gajeel slammed a book down on his head. "It means have sex, you idiot!" Naomi blushed furiously at her husband's stupidity. Everyone else pretended to not have heard him as Levy cleared her throat and pointed out the disturbing information on the next page. "Humans saw this as an opportunity to go egg hunting; both a very… delicious… treat, as well as an effective way to stop the dragon population from growing as the dragon slayers cut back the number of adults."

Kashi cringed. "How barbaric…." Levy shook her head. "It gets worse… during this 'quest' for younger dragons, they often would be oblivious to attacks on themselves or others, so dragon slayers would target these dragons specifically… to kill them off while they were vulnerable."

Kidd cringed. "It sounds like humans wanted the dragons to become extinct." Kashi nodded. "Well, that might explain why they just vanished…. They probably killed all the adults without a younger generation left to complete the cycle." Levy's eyebrows scrunched at a passage within the reading that didn't quite match the rest of the text. Gajeel placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

Levy took a deep breath. "Well… I'm not sure. It just says… "May all believers of dragons know this to be true. Through time you shall travel without consequence. May you be able to see with your own orbs the true kindness of a dragon, lest it be forgotten for all eternity."

Everyone's mouths stayed shut as the words processed through their minds. "The book was just telling us about how humans proudly took advantage of the dragon's only weaknesses, and now it says to protect them?" Naomi pointed out. Levy nodded. "That's why it was so strange…" Wendy's mouth dropped open as she looked out the window. "Uh, guys…"

The eyes of the group turned their attention from Wendy to the direction she was staring. Outside the window, far into the darkness that had engulfed the library, was the glow of what could only be a large bonfire. The city was gone; it was all trees. Then suddenly a large whoosh filled their ears, and a dragon flew right over the building, heading towards the bonfire. Then another. The group exchanged glances before abandoning the building in a hurried manner. Upon stepping outside, they saw what could only be thousands of dragons coming from all directions, flying towards the light in the distance. While they were paralyzed with awe, nobody noticed the transformation of Kashi. Heck, KASHI didn't notice the transformation of Kashi. Kidd turned around to celebrate their find with her, only to scream as he was met with a white leg. A DRAGON leg. The rest of the group snapped their heads around to see what had caused Kidd to panic, and they needed to tilt their heads up to fully see what was standing beside them.

A dragon covered in silvery white scales, with a blood red underbelly, wings, and back spines stood next to them. If it hadn't been for the obvious bright green eyes, they might not have noticed who it was. "Kashi!"

The once again dragon looked around, then down at her friends. "What?" Her voice's pitch had lowered, and her eyes went wide. Twisting her head around, she saw her dragon body. A body she never thought she would see again. She smiled, extending a wing. "I'm…. a dragon?!"

Kidd and Gajeel both stood with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. For a moment, Kashi forgot about her friends, and started beating her wings, knocking them all over. She chuckled. "Sorry!"

Levy ran up to her friend, feeling the scales on her legs. "Wow! So this is what a dragon feels like?" Kashi growled. "Don't touch me!" Levy flinched her hand away, but then Kashi sighed and bent her head down, grabbing the back of Levy's shirt in her jaws and dropped her upon her back. Levy looked up to Kashi, and when she saw her nod slightly she began feeling the scales and knocked on the spines. "Wow! So these ARE made of bone! And your wings… they're so smooth!" Natsu joined her in the enthusiasm, and using fire as a propellant he jumped his way up onto Kashi's head. "Wow! How did you do this, Kashi?!" She shrugged her dragon shoulders. "I didn't do it. And get off my head."

Kashi looked towards the bonfire. "I suppose we need to go there, right?" Natsu got down off of her head to walk alongside Naomi. "I won't let anyone touch you!" Kidd began to cry at Kashi's perfect symmetry, and everyone just rolled their eyes.

"But look! The scales are even, and the spines are perfectly centered! Can I measure your wing span?!" Kashi showed her teeth, and that shut him up quick.

The group started walking, with only the light of Natsu's fist to guide them. Kashi could see above the treetops, but even then, it was still dark. Every once in a while, a dragon would swoop down close to see who Kashi was, but they would notice the resemblance to Igneel and flew away quickly.

Kidd noticed this, and asked. "Why are they all avoiding you?" Natsu folded his hands behind his head. "It's because Igneel is the fire king… the next strongest dragon to Achnologia. Nobody wants to mess with him or his family!" Wendy looked up at Kashi. "Isn't that lonely? When nobody wants to even know your name?"

Kashi blinked. "Suits me fine." Kidd bit his lip at her shortness. What nobody knew is that her attitude was in part caused by the festival. It was affecting her the closer the clock got to midnight. It was somewhere around eleven right now. The group walked in silence, watching the dragons flying by. Wendy had spotted the dragon she talked with in the catacombs during the Grand Magic Games that one time. She smiled, only to smack her head on Kashi's leg. She had stopped. Natsu turned to look at her, and her eyes were wide. Everyone stopped and watched her as her wings spread open. Kidd touched her leg. "Hey, are you okay?" She reached out a clawed hand and grabbed Natsu before shooting off into the sky. Levy fell off, but Gajeel caught her. Kidd shrugged as Naomi looked towards him for clarification, and as he shrugged, the remainder of the group ran full speed in the direction that Kashi had gone, taking Natsu with her.

After a few minutes of running they had probably covered half the remaining distance to the bonfire. They broke into a clearing, and they stopped at what they saw. Kashi stood there, her wings pressed tightly to her sides, and Natsu stood on the ground next to her large feet. The two were staring at a familiar figure. His red scales shone in the moonlight and his white teeth sparkled in an all-knowing smile. The world seemed to stand still for a moment before his authoritative voice spoke over them. "Welcome, my sister, my son. And friends, of course."

Naomi gasped. "T-That's Igneel!" Gajeel looked around frantically, and Wendy looked around hopefully. Igneel laughed at Natsu's tearing face. "Come here, son." He opened his dragon arms to the pink haired idiot, and with tears streaming down his face Natsu ran forward and pressed himself against his dragon father's scaly chest. "I've waited a long time for this moment." Kashi smiled, and Igneel winked at her. "You too, idiot." Kashi bounded herself over with a few loud thuds and ran herself into Igneel's side, almost knocking him over. Her eyes teared up as well, and she smiled at him, then her small friends at the edge of the forest. "Iggy, these are our friends."

Igneel nodded. "Yes, I know. I have lived this encounter many times." He looked over Kidd and Natsu. "Last time… they weren't here to celebrate with us." Naomi and Kashi glanced at each other, knowing exactly what he was talking about. If Kashi hadn't of had her stroke of genius, neither boy would have been here right now. Levy peeped up. "Um, Igneel, Sir… how is that possible?"

Igneel gestured them all to come closer, and they did so. "As the king of the fire dragons, I was granted foresight into the alternative dimensions of this world. I've seen all the ways things can happen, and have happened, in alternate universes. You all are doing a great job; this reality is the best I've seen… and that's why I was excited to see you all today."

Wendy smiled. "That's very promising, thank you King Igneel!"

Gajeel crossed his arms, and bared his teeth. "Hey, is Metalicana here or what?" Igneel turned his head, and as if on queue Metalicana as well as Grandeeney flew down from the mass of dragons in the sky, and landed by Igneel's side. "They've been looking forward to this meeting as well."

Gajeel ran up to his dragon father and started pounding on him out of anger. Wendy cried tears of joy and gave her mother a hug. Natsu pulled away from Igneel, and yelled at him. "Why did you just disappear!? I've been looking for you for years! All of us have!" Metalicana grumbled. "All will be explained in due time." Grandeeney smiled down at the lot. "For now, there are more pressing matters to cover."

Before Grandeeney could continue, an obviously young royal purple dragon flew down and shoved his face into Kashi's. She pulled her head back in disgust, and the random dragon smiled. "You are the most beautiful princess I've ever seen! How would you like to become the queen of shadow dragons with me?" Kidd felt his temper rise a this 'man' was hitting on his girl right in front of him. "Hey! Back off, dick!" Kashi rolled her eyes as the shadow dragon turned his head to Kidd, baring his fangs. "Is this little twerp bothering you? I could rip off his head and shut him up real quick…" Kashi used her tail to whip the jerk-dragon away. "He's with me, back off him." The shadow dragon shrugged, and winked at Kashi. "If you ever change your mind, I'm available, baby." He flew off, and whistled as he left. Kashi could feel the skin under her scales flush, and thought for sure everyone would be able to see her white scales turn pink.

Igneel shook his head at the encounter. "First off, you need to change. We don't need anymore young idiots flocking to our location. Or you trampling Kidd to dust again." Kidd and Kashi raised an eyebrow in unison and squeaked. "Again?!"

Everyone stepped back as Igneel pulled his head back, preparing to spit fire. He blew out a bright white flame that surrounded Kashi, and when he stopped and the flames died down Kashi was a human again, and wearing an extremely beautiful, perfectly symmetrical dress that looked to mimic a phoenix. It was a fiery dress fit for a princess such as herself. Kashi looked down at herself and pouted. "But I wanted to fly some more…" Igneel turned Kashi around with a single claw, showing off all her sides to her friends. "Never forget, she has a heart of fire. And if you do her wrong, you will get burned." The girls oooed at her new dress, while Kidd drooled at its complex symmetry. Suddenly Kashi, Gajeel, and Wendy gripped at their heads as an extreme wave of a headache came over them. The dragons were un-phased, while the slayer's friends panicked. "What's happening?"

Grandeeney chuckled. "The clock struck midnight and the moon is at its highest. The ritual has begun." Igneel glared at Natsu as he scratched his head. "Hey… all the other dragon slayers are getting headaches… why not me?" Igneel's eyes turned to slits, and he didn't answer as everyone turned their heads to Kashi, who shook out of her headache the fastest. Metalicana laughed. "Typical; she is a full-blooded dragon after all."

Naomi moved over to Natsu and Igneel, and clutched to his shirt, watching their friend. Levy moved to Gajeel's side, trying to shake him out of his headache. Wendy collapsed at the feet of her mother, while she tried to contain her laughter. Kashi looked around in a daze. She looked down at her outfit and smirked. "Wow… I'm actually kinda hot." Kidd's eyes went wide. Kashi would NEVER compliment herself, especially in such a way. Naomi caught on to this odd behavior, and she feared for Kidd's life as Kashi looked around, passing over everyone once, and fixating on Kidd. She licked her lips. "You know what else is hot?"

Natsu blew a grunt out of his nose while trying to contain a spurt of laughter at Kashi's comment. Naomi punched Natsu in the arm as Kidd stood, paralyzed, from the sudden change in Kashi. "Uh, w-wait, what?" Kashi lightly jogged herself over to Kidd, and grabbed his tie, pulling his face to mere centimeters from hers. "I want you." His face flushed as she kissed him fiercely, and he struggled to pull away from her insane grasp. "K-Kashi, what are you d-DOING STOP!" She startled him by using her other hand to grope him through his pants. Naomi had to cover her eyes out of embarrassment for her friend, while Natsu was slapping his knee and holding his sides in laughter. Levy watched in horror as her once docile friend kept advancing on the poor reaper boy, almost forgetting that Gajeel was in a painful heap beside her.

Kashi pushed him down to the ground and tried to sit on top of him, but he scrambled away seconds before she could pin him down. Kashi sat on the ground with a pouty face. "What, don't you want me, too?" Kidd gazed at his girlfriend in a panic as she started to tear up. Metalicana growled as Kidd hesitated to reach an arm out to her. "Don't fall for it, boy. It's a trick."

Suddenly Levy's eyes lit up. "It all makes sense! They are all part dragon, so their dragon senses are kicking in…which means they are trying to find a mate?!" Igneel nodded. "Exactly." Levy noticed Gajeel start to calm down and ran behind Naomi as cover. Metalicana shook his head. "You will never escape the nose of a dragon slayer."

Gajeel snapped out of his headache and did the same as Kashi, but when he didn't see who he was looking for he smelled for her in the air. "I found you…" he growled. Levy shrieked as Gajeel ran with super speed and caught her, lifting her above his head with ease. "She's mine, you bastards! Stay away from her!" Metalicana huffed. "Why did he have to pick the twerp? Why not the hot red-head?" Natsu's eyes blazed. "HEY! That 'red-head' is mine, so back off!" Igneel moved his head down and split apart Naomi and Natsu, and even with Naomi still there, whispered as if she wasn't. "Natsu, my son. Did you listen to what I had taught you? I know you were really young, but…"

Natsu looked at him in confusion, and Naomi, being ignored, just stood there and listened in curiosity. Igneel sighed. "You aren't affected by the ritual, which means you must have claimed her. Did you use protection?" Naomi choked on her own spit as Natsu shrieked. "JESUS DAD, NOT NOW!"

Igneel huffed. "I just wanted to make sure you were being responsible." Naomi felt her face flush, and she hid her face from Igneel's giant eye. "I have to say, you did a good job, choosing her. I'm proud of you, son."

Natsu's face flushed and he scrunched his eyebrows, refusing to look at his father. The fire dragon king smiled, and looked to Naomi. "I have a gift for you, daughter." Naomi forced herself to look up at Igneel, and he reached into a nearby treetop, where he had stashed his present. He reached his giant hands up, and with two claws he gently pulled out a scarf, just like Natsu's, and lowered it down to her level. "I had a friend make this, just for you. Once I'm gone, you are all Natsu has for family. I know he will never admit it…" He said, as he glanced in his pouting son's direction. "You mean more to him than I ever did… and I don't want to know what would happen if he were to ever lose you."

Naomi thankfully took the scarf, and wrapped it around her neck. "Natsu, look! I'm you!" Natsu lost his pouting face, and instead blushed. "It looks cute on you." He whispered. Naomi laughed in excitement of the gift, being accepted into the fire dragon family. The happiness was short lived as they heard sobbing from Kidd and Kashi's direction, and it wasn't Kidd.

"I thought you LOVED me!" Kashi sobbed on the ground. Kidd kept a reasonable distance, frozen in fear. He didn't know what to say or what to do- Kashi had never acted like this before. "I was the most BEAUTIFUL dragon in all the land, and now I'm so ugly you can't even LOVE ME ANYMORE!"

Kidd slowly backed away as Naomi gestured for him to join her and Natsu, so he did. He sat down with Igneel between him and Kashi, not that it would matter if she wanted to chase him again, after all, "you can't escape the nose of a dragon." They listened together as Kashi got up and started asking Grandeeney if she was beautiful, and if her little human child named Wendy was going to steal Kidd away from her. Kidd sighed, and Natsu sat next to Kidd as Naomi got up to watch what was happening. "Dude, you guys still haven't slept together?"

Kidd's face heated up and he groaned. "No… I'm a gentleman and she's shy, nothing's going anywhere. Not that I mind all that much; sex isn't really THAT important." Natsu shook his head. "But don't you want it?" Kidd ran a hand through his hair. "Of course I do! Just, just not like this!" Kashi started calling out to Kidd again, this time more demanding.

"COME OUT HERE AND LOVE ME!"

Natsu shrugged. "I suppose. What do you guys do at night then?" Kidd glared at him, thoroughly done with the subject. "It's called cuddling and talking and listening to her feelings; you should try it sometime." Suddenly Kashi jumped down in front of them, from over Igneel's back. "There's my cutie!" Kidd let out a scream similar to a little girl's, and even though Kashi's advances were turning him on, he knew it would be a BAD idea to go through with it, especially when she "woke up" and found out… and knew he had to just keep running. So run he did. And chase she did.

Igneel chuckled. "It is most common for the females to choose their mates, not the other way around." Natsu thought over Kidd's words, and thought of something else in the process. "Hey, Pap… if you're the King of the fire dragons, where is the Queen?" Igneel's eyes went dark, and he sighed, eyes closing slowly in a memory. "She died much too young. It was our first year together… she had just laid our first egg. We were so hopeful…" Natsu looked down at his feet, regretting his decision to ask the question. "As you already know from the book I left for you… humans would go hunting for dragon eggs. She gave her life to protect our egg… and then they still managed to get the egg. I wasn't even there to help her." Natsu placed a hand on Igneel's shoulder, since he was laying down. Igneel smiled to his son. "However, if I hadn't lost them, I would have never adopted you, so everything worked out in the end."

Natsu smiled back. "Did she choose you?" Igneel laughed at the memory, and dipped his head. "Yes… she did."

Natsu had a lightbulb go off in his head. "Hey, I'll be back! I have an idea!" Igneel nodded, and joined a conversation with Grandeeney and Metalicana. Natsu ran out and stood directly behind Naomi, who was shaking her head, watching as Kashi chased Kidd around and how he somehow managed to dodge her. Natsu slipped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Hey."

Naomi's eyes went wide and she twisted her way out of his grasp. "Don't tell me it's affecting you too?" Natsu shrugged. "No, I just wanted to talk…or cuddle, or sumthin…" Naomi took a few steps back away from him. "Natsu this isn't like you." Natsu rolled his eyes. "Kidd and Kashi are always cute like that. Why can't we be cute?!"

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Not my job?" Natsu frowned and yelled over to Kidd, who was playing dead while Kashi poked at his face. "SHE WON'T LET US BE CUTE!" Kidd kept up his façade, and refused to move. Kashi turned to Igneel and started tearing up again. "I'm going to be single forever! He's dead again!"

Igneel turned his head to her in confusion. "Again?"

Metalicana huffed in laughter. "I thought you could see across space and time, Igneel." The fire dragon king blew a ball of fire in the metal dragon's direction. "I must have been sleeping."

The dragons laughed in unison. Gajeel carried Levy around demanding fights for her hand in marriage. Kidd continued to play dead as Kashi broke down in tears. Natsu kept trying to give Naomi hugs while she slipped away asking him if he was 'alright in the head'. Wendy woke up and was pouting because her boobs weren't big enough for a boyfriend, and before the sun had a chance to come up, the dragons finished their chat and decided it was time to end their visit. They all nodded at each other before blowing a special air over their families, and forcing them all to pass out.

The world with dragons faded as everyone passed out and entered a dream state. No one was any longer affected by the ritual, and they all stood side by side in front of the three dragons, who stood in front of millions more dragons. The humans looked behind them, and saw all their friends from Fairy Tail and other places from around the world. The humans looked back at the dragons, and they all smiled down at them. "The time has come to go back to your own time." Natsu, Kashi, Wendy and Gajeel were all crying now, and Natsu held Naomi in a hug and Kidd has his arm around Kashi's shoulder, while Gajeel squished Levy similarly to a teddy bear. "We can't tell you why we all disappeared, and you may never learn the truth. But don't let that stop you from living your lives. You will see us again very soon, so don't worry." The group of humans came together in a group hug as the dream world got brighter and they started losing sight of their dragon friends. Igneel spoke first. "Natsu… never forget what you're fighting for, and never lose your head. Kashi… never stop fighting. Naomi, don't let Natsu get too reckless. And Kidd, never forget to tell my sister how much you care for her… because she doesn't believe she deserves it." Then Metalicana spoke. "Gajeel… never forget you do have a heart made for kindness. And Levy, make sure to bring out the best of that Kindness." Then it was Grandeeney's turn. "Wendy…. never forget that you are beautiful, and that you will find someone who loves you someday."

The dragons raised their wings and called out together. "Good-bye, and good-night."

A few hours passed, and the group of Fairy Tail members woke up in various positions back in the library. Kashi was wearing her phoenix dress, and Naomi still had her very own Natsu scarf, so they all knew it had happened. The memories of Kashi and Gajeel were fuzzy to start, but when the memories came back about what they had done to their significant others, they both blushed and hid behind books while the rest of the group laughed at them. Kidd placed a hand on Kashi's head. "I forgive you." Kashi groaned in embarrassment. Levy hit Gajeel with a book for throwing her around like a piece of meat, and Wendy blushed while imagining who would be her significant other (or if she would have big boobs someday). Natsu held onto Naomi as more tears threatened to surface from seeing his dad again, and he continued to promise her that "he would show her how much she means to him" more often from now on. After their embarrassment and tears had dried up, they cleaned up the library, headed back to the guild, and promised to keep this memory a group secret. It brought them all closer together as friends, and some as lovers.

And soon… soon they would be practicing the tradition of something old, new, borrowed, and blue. Or in Kashi's case, red, because she doesn't give a shit about tradition.


	42. 41: Secrets and Saxophones

**Chapter 41**

 **"** **Secrets and Saxophones"**

 **Song: Look What You Made Me Do, Taylor Swift**

Kidd was sitting in the Fairy Tail guild sipping some water from a crystal class that had just been slid to him across the wooden surface of the bar. He was reading the newest edition of Sorcerer's Weekly. The corners of Mirajane's lips curved upwards into a grin when she saw him flipping the pages. "You're going to love the Stalker Shots this week." A black eyebrow raised in question, his eyes never breaking from the page. "Is it another picture of Natsu streaking? Because that was hilarious." The waitress had to stifle a laugh, leaning on the counter as Kidd flipped to the next page. His eyes squinted into slits as he brought the page to his face. "Is… is that, Kashi?!"

On the "Stalker Shots" page, Kidd's golden eyes grazed over the headline "Secret Sorcerer Band" before examining the photo below it. The image depicted a crowd cheering in front of a stage. On the platform stood a figure identical to Kashi, with the main identifiable features being messy white hair with red bangs- holding a microphone in one hand and the stand in the other. She was wearing an elaborate masquerade mask, as well as the other five people on the stage. Only one of the other band members looked recognizable to him; it could only be Gajeel under that crazed hair and studded skin behind that mask and guitar. Although he wouldn't be surprised if the one redhead was Naomi over Erza; knowing how close those two were. He would be surprised to learn that she could play the saxophone if was her, though…

Peeling his gaze away from the picture, he moved his attention to the description beneath it. "The hot new band 'Masquerayhem' has been showing up randomly at bars and venues during odd hours, promoting business during otherwise slow times of day. A hardcore Fairy Tail fan thought she recognized the Dragoness, Kashi Hatake, leading the group, with Gajeel Redfox, the iron dragon slayer, playing on the guitar. The fan guesses that the Titania Twins, Naomi and Erza, are also in on the act, but they couldn't tell for sure with the masks. Keep an ear out for some jammin' music in the middle of the day; you might be able to confirm or deny this stalker shot!"

Kidd turned around in his seat and spotted Natsu brawling with Grey. "Hey, Natsu! Come see this!" Their girls were all out on a small job for the day, and considering they just left half an hour ago, the men had time to contemplate their own stalkerish plans…

Gajeel frowned, his hand clenched in a tight fist. "We've been found out! We can't perform next month." Levy nodded, her arms wrapped around Gajeel's neck. "Right now, they can't confirm it was us as long as we don't perform again. We should quit while we're ahead." Naomi sighed, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "I suppose you have a point." Kashi groaned, her eyes rolling in their sockets. "Guys! How can you just quit? We've made so much money on tips from these drunkards! And I enjoy this too much to just stop. Gajeel- nobody would have taken you seriously if they knew it was you, right?" The iron dragon's cheeks flushed as he reluctantly nodded. Kashi's green eyes snapped to the buff man with electric yellow hair, who was wiping down his bass guitar in the corner. "What do you think, Laxus?"

The lightning dragon slayer shrugged his shoulders, never breaking eye contact with his guitar. "It is nice to be appreciated for our talent instead of our status." Freed appeared from the bathroom. "Why do we need to be so secret about it now that they love us?"

Naomi's face went red. "I can't even imagine what Natsu would say if he saw me…" Kashi lowered her face from the group, shuddering. "And Kidd would go nuts…" Even Laxus' own face shaded pink as he rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling. "Mirajane would probably be mad I didn't include her." The room went quiet with guilt. Levy smiled and broke the silence. "I bet they wouldn't be that upset guys…" Naomi, Kashi, and Laxus all whipped their heads towards Levy with angry faces and screamed in unison "HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" And Gajeel chuckled. "I'd be pissed to see you on stage by yourself to be completely honest." Levy frowned. "Seriously?!" Gajeel nodded. "Heck yeah! There's lots of creeps in the music industry." Levy's face dropped. "You mean like you?" Naomi coughed, doubling over in laughter. "That was a good one!"

Freed groaned. "Guys, we need to figure out what we're doing. Laxus and I are meeting the gang in an hour for a mission." Naomi stood up, wiping tears from her face. "Yeah… ha... so what's the plan?"

Kashi gripped her chin. "Maybe we should advertise the day before, make it bigger and better than ever… and show our identity." Naomi screeched, grabbing Kashi's shirt. "Are you nuts!?" Kashi waved her hands in the air. "No, think about it! Now that people are looking out for us, we could bring tons of business to Fairy Tail! And imagine the tips~" Levy peeped up, shaking her head. "Fine, we advertise, but we can NOT show our identity!" Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "What's keeping you?" Levy crossed her arms. "I have a reputation to uphold." Naomi shook her head. "Natsu will be upset I didn't include him…and Kashi, you JUST said Kidd would go nuts!" She hid behind her red bangs. "I'll just blame you, like always." Naomi's face went red. "Is THAT why he doesn't like me?!"

Laxus shot lightning to the ceiling. "SHUT UP!" Everyone piped down instantly, and he set his guitar down. "Let's just continue as we normally would. We tell only those we feel we need to, and try to keep it as secret as we can." Everyone nodded, and as the bell tolled the top of the hour, they quick high fived and headed on their separate ways. Naomi met with Kashi outside the building and started walking towards their small job washing dishes for the day. Naomi spoke first. "You telling Kidd?"

Kashi squeaked a laugh. "No. You?" Naomi shook her head. "Of course not. Natsu's the biggest blab in the guild." Kashi sighed. "Good. I just don't want Kidd to see me perform… it would be so embarrassing. And I know Natsu would tell him if he knew about it." The girls nodded, fist bumped, and chatted about the week ahead.

Natsu gave Naomi a fierce hug when she came through the doors of the guild that afternoon. His grin was wide as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How'd dishwashing go?" Kashi came in the doors after the redhead, soaked from head to toe. Naomi laughed. "Great… for me, anyway."

Kidd strolled up next to the cuddling couple, sizing up Kashi with a stupid grin on his face. "What did you do?" Kashi groaned. "Naomi thought it would be funny to scare me. I fell into the sink." Kidd chuckled, and gave her a hug anyway, although with protest. Natsu had refused to let go of Naomi since they walked in and she was getting curious. "Natsu?" The dragon slayer nodded. "What do you want?"

Natsu shrugged, letting go of the blue-eyed redhead. "Nothing! I just owe Gramps some money for a few tables I may have destroyed today…" Naomi smacked him upside his pink head. "You're the reason we're broke!"

Kashi shivered. "Okay guys, I need a hot shower. Kidd, wanna join?" She smirked and started walking away as Kidd's face grew a tomato-red blush as his feet froze to the ground. "O-oh, I uh." With a quick confused wave good-bye to Natsu and Naomi, who gave him a sly smirk, he raced after the dragoness. "Coming!"

Natsu watched as the two dorks ran down the street. "Hey, why don't you play any instruments?" Naomi froze, and Natsu could almost see the blood drain from her face. Naomi gave him a sidewards glance. "What made you think of that?" She said as a quick reply. Natsu threw his hands behind his head. "Erza came in here today playing some sorta bagpipe. It got me thinking; you were always so close to her and never thought to pick up an instrument. That seems weird." Naomi shrugged. "Not really. She's super outgoing and determined to try new things and I wasn't interested in things that took that much effort, ehe." Naomi glanced at Natsu, and he seemed to buy the lie, but it hit a little close to the lie; since she played the saxophone in the band.

While Naomi internally sighed with relief, Natsu smiled in his mind. Her words seemed true enough, but it was a lie, and he knew it. He had asked Erza earlier if Naomi played any instruments, and claimed Naomi once knew how to play the Saxophone, just to spite her sister who amazingly couldn't play. Erza was still trying to learn and just couldn't grasp it. If Naomi wasn't really in this secret band, then she wouldn't have any reason to hide it. And he had to tell Kidd right away.

Natsu looked around frantically, and screamed. "I forgot Happy!" Naomi waved him goodbye as he raced off to "find" Happy, who was happily spending the afternoon with Charle, Wendy and Miwa. He takes a long way around and catches up with Kidd and Kashi as they were just about to enter their apartment. Natsu could see the look of annoyance on his reaper friend's face as he called out. "Hey! Do you remember where you last saw Happy today?!" Kidd sighed, and told Kashi to go in without him. She shrugged, and left the two boys on the steps.

Kidd glared daggers at the dragon slayer. "What now?"

Natsu smirked, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "It worked."

Kidd grinned. "So Naomi is the one with the saxophone?" Natsu nodded, folding his arms together. "Good; then I don't have to pry Kashi. She's like some sort of psychic and can tell when she's being fished." Natsu chuckled, jumping off the steps. "Keep me posted, alright?" With a high-five, Kidd opened the door to his apartment complex and Natsu ran off towards Wendy's place.

When Kidd entered their 'house', he heard Kashi singing in the shower. He grinned. This would be a good way to see if her singing skills had improved. Sneaking around to the bathroom, the door was shut but he could clearly hear her singing along to "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift and was actually taken aback by the quality of her voice. She used to be, to be honest, a pretty bad singer. Her pitch liked to jump off audible cliffs and she didn't have her own voice. Now she was like her own Taylor Swift, and she made him forget why he was even eavesdropping in the first place. He didn't even hear when the water shut off, and Kashi threw open the door, smacking Kidd in the face. "Oh, whoops."

She held a towel around her body, and held back a laugh as she saw Kidd holding his nose while laying on the floor. "Were you eavesdropping on me again?" He nodded in pain, and she chuckled. "I forgot my clothes." She hopped over him and changed in the bedroom, his head throbbing with pain.

Guess she could be the lead singer, after all.

The day of the concert had come sooner than expected.

Naomi, Kashi and the others were standing behind the curtains, peeking with amusement at the sheer amount of people had showed up from the mere rumor that a band had reserved the night. Half of them were so sure it would be Masquerayhem, that they wore their own masks. Gajeel chuckled. "Looks like we didn't need to advertise… rumor spread it around fast enough for us."

Laxus shook his head. "I can't mess up today… Mirajane said she would be here." Naomi chuckled. "Natsu had better NOT be in that crowd today. He said he was going fishing."

Kashi glanced over to Naomi. "And I convinced Kidd to go with him. Thank goodness…"

They didn't go fishing.

It was all an elaborate plan to get the girls off their cases. Kidd and Natsu wore hoodies and masks, and they were huddled in a corner of the room, next to a full bar. The lights were too dim to see more than a couple feet in front of you, and if they weren't up against a wall, they would be touching elbows with ten strangers due to how packed the place was for the event. Kidd looked around with a glare. "And this wasn't advertised?"

Natsu shook his head, throwing back another brandy. "Nope. Someone theorized this would be them, considering its three in the afternoon, not at night, and it has been exactly 25 days since the last concert, which is the spacing between all the others." Kidd sighed. "You've really had too many of those if you can remember that many details about something other than food." Natsu shrugged, ordering another.

"Naomi never lets me have these things. Why don't you have some fun too?" Kidd tightened his hoodie strings. "I can't get drunk… my liver is too efficient. It's thanks to my reaper DNA. It's just a waste of money for me." Shrugging, Natsu threw back another. Kidd had counted ten. Even the bartender was looking at the pink-haired dragon slayer with concern.

Kidd waved him away, so Natsu couldn't get another. Suddenly the white lights disappeared and the colored bulbs turned on. Dancing across the heads on the floor and in the bar, music started up from the speakers. Natsu rubbed his hands together.

"We know most of you are expecting this to be a Masquerayhem performance." Cheers were heard, and the two boys watched expectantly at the stage. "And we are so sorry…" Boos could be heard, and someone even swore. A minute passed and it quieted down. "…That you had to wait this long!" Cheers filled the room once again, and a sick beat started up in the room as the curtain lifted. It was dark, none of the spotlights were on. The song was "Lone Digger" by Caravan Palace, and the first verse was sung in darkness. Natsu looked at Kidd with wiggly eyebrows when he recognized it as Naomi's voice.

"~Hey, brother, what you thinking? Leave that old record spinning, you feel the rhythm going. Let's end your time to lay low, your knees a bending so, it's time to get up and let go."

And a male voice, probably Laxus's "You're gunna come undone."

Then the spotlights flicked on, blinding Natsu, Kidd, and the whole audience as the band appeared with Naomi in front, wearing a long silver sequin dress. Her red hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and resting on a chair somewhere behind her was her Saxophone. This confused Natsu and Kidd. "I thought Kashi was the singer?" Naomi continued the song as the boys were joined by Mirajane. "Kashi is usually the lead singer; but with this type of song, Kashi's the rapper." Kidd raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?" Natsu blinked, confused. "What's a rapper?" Mirajane winked, and Naomi grabbed her saxophone.

Naomi put her microphone into a stand, and finished her line, opening it up for Kashi's part. "Ready set go!" Kashi appeared from seemingly nowhere, wearing a black mask and a black dress, matched with fishnet leggings and high-high heels. Levy shredded the violin, indicating a change in pace for the song, and to everyone's surprise, Kashi was fast! All the while Naomi was getting cheers on the Saxophone, and Kashi's moves made Kidd blush. Natsu leaned over to Kidd. "Hey, didn't that dress come out of Kashi's underwear drawer?" Kidd smacked his dragon friend. "NO! And how would you possibly know that?!" Natsu chuckled. "I search everyone's houses for secrets, yours is no different." Mirajane stopped Kidd from whacking Natsu upside the head.

The song was over all too fast, and Naomi joined Kashi up front on the stage, catching the boy's attention. "You guys know it's the middle of the day right?" The crowd cheered. "Don't you have better things to do?" Various tones of "no" were heard from all over the audience. "Haha… Nah, thank you guys for showing up. We couldn't do this without you lovely fans!" The crowds screams of approval. Naomi smiled, "Love the masks, by the way." Kashi flashed a smile to her best friend. "Ready for some tunes?!" The cheering made Naomi and Kashi nod, and flashed a wink over to Levy over on the electric piano. She started the song, followed by Freed on the drums. Gajeel and Laxus prepared their guitar. Naomi and Kashi switched lines.

"I, don't, like your little games. Don't, like your tilted stage, the, role you made me play, of the fool, no I don't like you." With a hip bump, Naomi turned it over to Kashi.

"I, don't, like your perfect crime. How, you laugh when you lie, you, said the gun was mine, isn't cool, no I don't like you."

Then the girls mirrored each other's movements as they joined together in the next line of the song. "But I got smarter I got harder in the nick of time. Honey I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time! I got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined."

Levy spoke into her microphone in the back. "I check it once, then I check it twice…"

"OH!" The fierce moan that came out of the two Fairy Tail member's mouths accompanied by a distressed sexy dance pose made Natsu and Kidd's faces light up and their noses spewed blood like a faucet. Mirajane laughed. "Bet you guys can't even get them to moan like that." The boys hid their faces in their hoodies.

"Ooh, look what you made me do…" The girls enjoyed themselves up on the stage and danced, remembering moves that they learned in, guess this, strip club class. It was a joke from Erza, but served quite useful in this instance.

A man leaned up to Natsu. "They're so hot… my theory is that they are sexually frustrated…" the man couldn't get another word in before drunken Natsu knocked him out cold with a fiery fist. "Yeah, fuck you too." The poor confused man crawled away with a bloody nose, and Kidd ordered ten kamikazes. "Thought you couldn't get drunk?" Kidd shook his head. "Doesn't mean I can't try…"

When the next song started, Natsu and Kidd turned their attention back to the stage as Levy grabbed a violin and started shredding. Kidd squinted. "Wait, I know this song…" Kashi pulled Laxus up front and they started singing. "Ooohoohoh, Forget- Let me breathe, let me leave. Just run away from my mind… Ooohoohoh, forgive- I don't need, I won't breathe… just get away from my life." The duo was too close; although Mirajane was enjoying the show, Kidd found himself jealous, and Natsu was about to be furious.

Naomi became the Epic Sax guy.

Natsu's face lit up with jealousy as the crowd of men cheered as Naomi killed her Saxophone solo, hip thrusting into the air just as "epic sax guy" did in his videos, and men were even throwing roses onto the stage. Natsu pushed his way into the back and Kidd had to throw back his last drink and follow him to try and stop him.

But he was too late.

Kashi heard Gajeel miss a beat, and she turned to see a flush-faced Natsu stumbling his way onto stage. "Shit!" Kashi turned Naomi around and the redhead somehow didn't miss a note on her extended solo, and glared at Kashi to do something. Her mind whirling, she grabbed Natsu's hand, and turned back to the audience, pulling Natsu into the spotlight. The crowd cheered, seeing the face of a member of Fairy Tail, and started dancing with him. Natsu was so confused he didn't have time to reprimand Naomi, and in his drunken state he actually joined Kashi in the dance. Just in time for Naomi's solo to end and Kashi could continue singing with Laxus. But she never saw Kidd come up on stage behind her, and as Naomi set down her saxophone to occupy Natsu in a dance, neither one ended up seeing Kidd steal the saxophone. All Naomi knew is that she went to grab it for her second solo, and it was gone.

A quick tug on Kashi's arm made her turn around and she gasped, as she saw Kidd begin the second saxophone solo. It was her turn to be jealous, as girls in the crowd started pulling roses off the stage to throw back at Kidd. Natsu twirled Naomi to the beat and took a rose between his teeth, and dipped her. The crowd screamed, lens flashes lighting up every corner of the room. His hoodie had fallen a long time ago, so his bright pink hair gave away his identity, and therefore Naomi's. They were married, after all.

Kidd's hair was combed back, so with the hoodie and the mask, the audience probably couldn't tell who it was. Kashi tried hiding in the back by the other band members, but Levy pushed her back out once the song was finished. She bumped into Kidd, and he smirked. "Why didn't you tell me?" Kashi blushed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's so embarrassing…" Kidd glanced over to Naomi and Natsu, who were still dancing, even without any music playing, Naomi's face written with defeat. "Isn't that worse?" Kashi chuckled at her friends, ignoring the silent pleas from Naomi to get Natsu under control.

Suddenly the audience started chanting.

"Duet!"

"Duet!"

"Duet!"

Kashi shook her head. "Looks like you are a part of the band now! It's a good thing I can't see your face or I wouldn't be able to do this…" Kashi gestured to the rest of the band and the music fired up. Kidd's face flushed, realizing he was up on stage being required to sing, which is something he isn't good at. His 20 Kamikazes might have had some influence on his answer, but he sighed and nodded, grabbing a microphone.  
"I guess so."

All in all, it was a night nobody would forget. Except Natsu.

The next edition of Sorcerer's Weekly came out the very next day. Natsu groaned, sitting hunched over a large bucket as Kidd read it out loud to him, Naomi and Kashi sitting nearby trying to brush glitter out of their hair.

"Rumors were proven true last night as Fairy Tail Guild members Kashi, Naomi, Levy, Gajeel, Laxus and Freed were all confirmed to be the main members of the band "Masquerayhem". They all revealed their identities at the end of the show after Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer, seemingly bound on stage in a drunken manner and confirmed that the saxophone player was Naomi Dragneel by pulling her into a kiss. Kidd Death joined the stage to recover the 'mayhem' caused by Natsu, revealing his own instrumental skills. We do not know if they used Natsu as a ruse to reveal their identities or if it was accidental, but either way they profited more than any other band in the Magnolia area, earning a whopping 500,000 yen in tips alone! They confirmed their next concert will be held at the Fairy Tail guild, given it's still standing at the time, 25 days from now."

Natsu groaned. "I don't remember any of that…"

Naomi took a break from her brushing to glare at Natsu. "Are you saying you don't remember what happened after the concert, either?"

Natsu shook his head in the bucket. "No… why?"

Naomi's face turned red as a tomato. "Damnit…" She leaned into Kashi and whispered so nobody else could hear. "No wonder he was amazing in bed…"

Kashi accidentally whopped herself in the face with her hairbrush as she reflexively tried to cover her mouth to prevent laughter. She bobbed her head in agreement as her eyes welled up with tears of laughter. Naomi was about to ask what was so funny, but Kidd's boastful comment to the hung-over Natsu made her chuckle with a new understanding.

"It turns out I CAN get drunk; it took two and a half large bottles of Jack Daniels which would normally kill a man, and it only lasted for a few hours, but at least my hangover only lasted a half-hour, too. One more thing to cross off my bucket-list." Kidd glanced over to Kashi, who was wiping tears away from her cheeks. "And unlike Natsu, I remember all of it." He winked, and instantly Kashi's face went red, and it was Naomi's turn to cry with laughter.

Gajeel came up behind the group, guitar in hand. "So, looking forward to the next one?"

Everyone smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

"Hell yeah!"


	43. 42: Natsumi: Canon!

**Chapter 42**

 **"Natsumi: Canon!"**

 **Song: You and Me, Lifehouse "Everything she does is beautiful…"**

The quartet of friends sat at one of the smaller tables in the guild hall as the noon hour passed. It was a rather nice day… the sun was hot but the breeze was chilly, and only a few people scattered in the streets of Magnolia. The guild was quiet because the majority of the guild members were out on dates for the day. Even Wendy was out on a date with Romeo. Natsu was wearing his favorite black and orange getup while sitting next to Naomi who wore a minty green sundress with white frills on the edges. Her curly red hair was done up in a messy bun, and her blue eyes sparkled as she announced that her and Natsu were finally planning their wedding.

Kashi sat across from Naomi and next to Kidd, wearing a decorative black and red corset with a thigh-high skirt to match. Her hair was lightly curled and gently hung down, her red bangs framing her face. She put on a thin line of black eyeliner and some mascara to make her green eyes pop. She usually didn't try this hard to look pretty, but it was a special day for Naomi, and she had insisted. Kidd tried to match by wearing his best suit, which in all honesty looked just the same as all the others he owned. But today he had a red tie, just for the change of pace.

Natsu held one of Naomi's hands to keep her from flailing it around while she talked in excitement. "I'm just so excited… we've been engaged for probably a year now?" Natsu sighed. "You don't remember the date?" Naomi blushed. "The whole weekend is a blur really…"

Kashi put an elbow up on the table and rested her head in her hand, looking at Naomi with a curious stare. "Actually, nobody really knows when you guys got engaged. One day you weren't, and the next you were."

Kidd nodded, his face completely serious. "Do tell!"

Naomi sighed, thinking back on the day. "Well, it was during the night of the Magnolia festival last year…"

Natsu followed Naomi around like a gentleman in a flaming-colored kimono as her blue eyes scanned every item displayed on the booths down main street. She would wander from one booth to the next, and without Natsu's watchful eye she would have lost herself in the crowds. She wore a matching celebratory kimono, and her anticipation grew with each passing moment. "Oh Natsu, all this stuff is so PRETTY! I can't wait for the parade… and the tree! It's my favorite part…" Natsu rolled his eyes as he smiled down at her. "Yes, I know. We usually end up spending the whole night waiting for the colors to go out."

She picked up a pretty flower lei, turned around and draped it over his head. It lay itself neatly around his neck, and she clapped. "Am I pretty?" He teased. Naomi laughed, and grabbed one for herself as well. The lady behind the booth smiled as Naomi offered pay for the items. "Oh no, you two are just such a cute couple; you can have it, free of charge!" Naomi shook hands with the lady before tugging on Natsu's arm again, dragging him to the next booth. He snuck his free hand into his pocket, and fingered the felt box within. He sighed. _It's still there…_

He _only_ checked his pocket five times a minute, but he had to make sure it hadn't disappeared. His mind was set on a perfect proposal for his girl, and she deserved it. He had saved up every extra penny he made for the last 5 years in preparation for this day. Even before they had started dating; he knew he would make her his someday. And it was gorgeous… and worth every penny. He's lucky; he had almost donated it all to the guild when he thought he would never see her again. In his mind's eye, he had saved it for her, and if he didn't have her to spend it on, it was worthless.

She pointed out some cute stuffed animals. He didn't see the point of a fluffy cuddle creature when they had Happy most of the time, but alas, she coaxed him into buying her a giant dragon anyway. He insisted that the only reason he said yes was because it was a dragon. He couldn't say no to a dragon. He blushed as he said it, and Naomi knew she just used her puppy dog eyes the right way.

The sun finally set over the buildings and plunged the area into a falsely-lit world of blues, pinks, yellows, and greens. The lights of the festival lit up the world like it was daytime. Naomi jumped in excitement as the two made their way to the guild hall, where the parade would be passing by, before racing to the rainbow tree.

They slithered through the crowd, and they made it in front of the guild hall along with some other guildmates, including Kashi and Kidd. Kidd looked ridiculous in his kimono, and it wasn't even symmetrical, but he couldn't keep his eyes off Kashi for more than a few seconds at a time to even worry about it. Natsu grabbed a flower from his lei and tied it up into Naomi's red curls. She blushed, and he smiled. "You look perfect." Kashi smiled and waved at the two before Kidd took her in a surprise kiss. She gave a thumbs-up before disappearing into the kiss…

Kashi blushed as Naomi remembered how flustered she had looked. "HEY! This story is about you; not me!" She paused, refusing to make eye contact. "Besides, I tried very hard to forget that and the consequential teasing, thank you very much." Kidd rubbed his face to try and hide his blush. "But I remember that!" Naomi exclaimed. Natsu smirked. "I know the festival can get to people's heads the first time, but Kidd just lost it."

Kidd sighed. "Natsu, what happened after the parade then? Did you guys just go straight to the tree?"

He nodded with Naomi. "Just like we did every year."

Naomi smiled. "But I knew something was up. He had just been too nice that day. First, he made me breakfast without eating any of it…" Kashi chuckled and nodded, the information sounding like something Natsu would do. "Then he held the door open for me when we left the house, and he kindly excused himself from a discussion that morning to go talk with Erza about a mission they were supposed to go on later that week. Not to mention all the kind words and small things he did throughout the day."

Erza walked up to the table. She was in her usual armor, not fazed by all the couples. "I heard my name?"

Everyone smiled and extended a greeting to the red-head. Naomi piped up with the same wide-smile she hadn't been able to wipe off her face all morning. "We're finally planning the wedding." Erza closed her eyes as she smiled with a sigh. "It's about time… it's not like I gave the idiot permission to marry you like, a year ago?"

Kashi's eyes went wide, and Naomi was equally surprised. "Wait, you asked Erza?!"

Erza nodded, and Natsu smiled. "That's what I REALLY went to talk to Erza about that day. You didn't have a father I could go to, and honestly, I would have been more afraid of Erza than him anyway, so I felt it was the right thing to do."

Kidd shook his head. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you had the guts to do something like that."

Natsu bared his teeth. "What?!"

Erza smiled down at the group. "It wasn't necessary, but I feel like it proved even more that he's the right idiot for you, Naomi." She blushed, and punched her sister in the arm. "Oh, thanks a lot, Erza."

"You're welcome." She said. "I've got to go now; but I'll talk to you about the details later?" Naomi nodded. "Of course!"

The group watched Erza walk away and listened to the clanging of her armor before continuing the story. Naomi's face filled with a blush thinking about the actual proposal, so Natsu started.

They got to the tree, which was already surrounded by half the town. Natsu squeezed the two of them through the crowd for a better spot. The grandfather clock ticked, and as it hit midnight the tree lit up like the Fourth of July. Naomi squeaked, jumped and clapped like a two-year-old seeing it for the first time. Time flew as they chatted under the tree, watching as people came and left to see the spectacle. Before 3am, the streets were empty of everyone except the two of them. The stars were twinkling down, the moon was filling the streets with light, and the glow of the tree showered them in colors.

Naomi sighed. "How can something so normal 364 days of the year be so beautiful for only one?"

Natsu took Naomi's hand in his. "How can something so beautiful that I see 365 days of the year still make my heart race like this?"

Naomi looked at Natsu with a blush creeping up on her face. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring into each other's eyes. Natsu was the first to break the silence.

"Did you know you have the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen?"

Naomi looked away in embarrassment. "Geeze, Natsu; what's with the compliments today?" The edges of Natsu's mouth turned up in a faint smile as he gently squeezed her hands.

"I mean, I might be a tad bit biased, but…" He looked down at her hands. "You do have the most beautiful eyes. And the most beautiful smile. And the most beautiful laugh. And an amazing personality." Naomi's face lit up like one of the red lanterns from earlier. She smiled awkwardly.

"Well… then I might as well say that you have the most striking eyes I've ever seen, and the most contagious smile I've ever seen, and the most adorable laugh I've ever heard." Natsu blushed. "Hey! You're throwing me off track here."

Naomi scratched at her neck out of nerves, her blush constant, eyes avoiding his. "What are you even doing?" Natsu stood up from his sitting position and drug Naomi up with him. He never let go of her hands. She noticed he was getting sweaty, and he looked nervous, which never happens with Natsu. Her goofy smile faded as she looked at him in worry. "Natsu, what's wrong?"

Natsu took a deep breath, dropped her hands and started to speak with "Nothing's wrong, I just…" and in that moment, in traditional Natsu fashion, he threw his speech out the window. Since when does NATSU have a plan, anyways? He nodded, and gazed into her worried blue eyes. "Actually… yes, there is something wrong." Naomi gulped with anticipation. "Just spit it out then, Natsu. You know I don't like…"

Natsu didn't let her finish. "You're not married to me yet."

Naomi froze. Her mind went blank, and her jaw dropped as she watched Natsu get down on one knee and pull a velvety box out of his pocket. Naomi slapped her hands over her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. "Will you fix my problem, Naomi Scarlet? Will you marry me?"

He opened the box to show a white-gold ring covered in perfect-quality diamonds, surrounding a diamond-cut fire opal in the middle. The colors mimicked those of the tree, and the tears spilled and streamed down her cheeks as she muffled a sob of joy. She moved her gaze from the gorgeous ring to Natsu's eyes, which were smiling just as much as his mouth was. She nodded, and forced a shaky "yes" out of her mouth before he stood back up and she flung herself at him in the tightest hug she'd ever given him since they reunited. Natsu choked back the need for air and held tight until she decided to let go. When she pulled back she used the arm of her kimono to wipe away her tears, and Natsu grabbed her left hand and slipped on the ring. It fit perfectly.

He smiled as Naomi took a minute to view the ring as it sat on her finger, and then looked up at him with such a love that couldn't be expressed with words. Her blue eyes sparkled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. The tree seemingly sparkled down on them brighter than before, as if agreeing with the outcome of the situation. The two kissed until they could no longer stand the lack of oxygen, and when they pulled away panting, they smiled. Naomi blushed, and glanced at the tree. "I think we can afford to leave early this time, don't you think?" Natsu smirked. "Only if you're okay with it."

Naomi nodded, her red curls bouncing, and Natsu wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the other arm swept her off her feet. They proceeded to engage in more kisses as Natsu carried her home. And for once, nobody was there to ruin the moment.

Kashi clenched her fists as she shook them in the air in front of her face in a full-blown fangirl. "I can just imagine!"

Kidd smirked. "Too bad nobody was there to take a picture. That would have been priceless."

Naomi smiled. "We're thinking of asking (NAME HERE IM AWFUL) of painting it for us just based on description alone. I've seen his work; he can do it." Natsu wrapped an arm around Naomi and kissed her on the cheek. Kashi rolled her eyes. "So what's the wedding going to be like? We kind of got sidetracked…"

Naomi jumped in her seat. "Oh right! That's what we're here for…"


	44. 43: I Do

**Chapter 43**

 **"** **I Do"**

 **Song: Hungry Eyes, Eric Carmen "One look at you and I can't disguise…"**

Naomi held her breath as Levy gently placed the veil on her head. "You're so beautiful…" Levy commented with a sigh. Naomi's ocean blue eyes threatened to spill over with excited tears, but she blinked them away in fear of ruining her perfect makeup. Now complete, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was indeed, beautiful. Her dress was white at the top, with white silky sleeves and bottom that tapered off into colors of a flame. A tribute to her soon-to-be husband; she wanted to surprise him with a dress that was like no other. Erza hugged her from behind, tears welling in her own eyes. "I never thought my sister would be getting married before me…"

Kashi stood off to the side, wearing a blazing yellow dress that revealed her shoulders and went to her knees, matching those of Levy and Erza. They were the bridesmaids. The girl with the red bangs rolled her green eyes. "It helps that our dresses look hideous on us." She said with a chuckle. Naomi smiled. "You think everything looks ugly on you…" tilting her head to look at her friend. Erza let go of Naomi and twirled, sparkles appearing around her. "I look gorgeous in everything I wear!" Everyone in the room but Erza groaned.

"You don't have to believe me, but you're pretty in that dress, Kashi." Opening her mouth to protest, Kashi was cut off by a knock on the door. Kidd poked in his head. "You girls got five minutes; you ready?" Naomi took a deep breath and bit her lip, nodding. The three bridesmaids gave a thumb up, and Kidd smiled, sending a wink in Kashi's direction before closing the door behind him as he left.

Naomi chuckled. "See? Kidd thinks you're pretty too." Kashi's face flushed red, and she sent a glare in Naomi's direction, before shaking it off and taking her friend's hand. A smile on her face, she looked Naomi in the eyes. "You ready to take on that dragon?" With one last deep breath, the red head nodded, her curls bouncing with every movement. Kashi nodded, and with a friendly pat on the shoulder, she led her friend out of the room and down the hall of the guild.

It wasn't a traditional wedding by any means; they decided to host it at the guild hall so that nobody would have to travel to the reception, which would start immediately after the "I do"s. They were never very religious people, and this place meant more to them than anywhere, so it only made sense to have it here. The newest version of the guild had a stage with an isle down the middle, similar to a church's. It even had steps straight to the center, so she wouldn't have to walk around to the sides.

The bridesmaids bid Naomi farewell as they turned the corner and headed down the isle in the start of the ceremony. Naomi felt her pulse in her throat. She was left alone, and was worried about passing out. She controlled her anxieties well, but this was the day she couldn't mess up. She had chosen to decorate using all the colors of a fire; to match her dress. Red, yellow, orange, white and even light blue balloons were everywhere. She had seen it before the lights went dim; it was perfect. She was perfect. She hoped Natsu was perfect, too; of course he was, she thought. Her thoughts raced trying to calm herself down, but she couldn't help but grin and nearly jump in excitement when the wedding march started playing.

Taking one last breath, well knowing she would probably forget to breathe when she's up on stage, she held her head high and turned the corner. Looking around, she saw literally everyone she knew. She took her first steps down the isle while still glancing around at the large group of friends she had. She even saw Gildarts!

Then she noticed him.

It was stupid how long it took her to see him, but Natsu was standing on the stage, grinning like a total idiot, his mouth slightly agape, wearing a perfectly white suit and red tie. His hair was even slicked back, like that one time he hadn't gotten a haircut in months and he had looked sexier than ever. He had gone all out for her, and his dumbfounded expression told her that she had done good on her outfit, too.

The walk to his side took a lot less time than she thought it would. She had just started feeling her pulse slow down to a somewhat-normal level when she found herself standing face-to-face with the love of her life. Makarov, who was playing the "priest", stood on a stool between the two of them, facing the crowd. Naomi found herself lost in Natsu's onyx eyes, and didn't even hear Makarov when he opened the ceremony. He kept it short and sweet, but she'll be honest; she didn't hear any of it.

Her ears opened back up and her eyes broke from Natsu's only when it was time to recite the vows. Makarov smiled down upon the two of them, and folded his hands behind his back. "Do either of you wish to speak?"

Naomi felt her throat tighten, and all her vows had flown out the window. Natsu saved her, and looked down at his feet for a moment, before bringing his head back up to meet her gaze. His eyes were sure and loving, and for the millionth time that day, she forgot how to breathe. So she listened.

"First, may I point out how gorgeous this lady is?" The crowd clapped and hollered, and Naomi felt her face flush. Smiling from ear to ear, he held out his hands and she took them in hers. Natsu's smile reflected in his eyes, and he waited for the crowd to quiet down before continuing. "All my life I had been searching for something. In my mind I had been searching for Igneel, but in my heart, I stopped searching when I found you." Tears formed in Naomi's blue eyes and she watched as her tears provoked Natus's own. While Naomi's cheeks streaked with tears, Natsu's eyes filled with tears threatening to spill over. His voice cracked, and she gripped tightly to his hands as he spoke. "I thought I was happy, just having friends. Everyone here, has always been there for me. But when you disappeared, all I knew was that you weren't there…and nobody could stop me from feeling all alone. They might as well have disappeared along with you, because that's what it felt like." He paused, wiping his eyes and swallowing the lump in his throat. "You are my family. My friend. My life. And soon, my wife." Naomi bit her lip, choking back a sob. "Without you, there was no life in me. You kindle the fire within me, and I know for certain it would die without you. I love you more than anything, Naomi. And I'm never going to let you forget that."

A single tear escaped each of Natsu's eyes as he finished his vow. Naomi reached up a hand and wiped one away, smiling and swallowing back her own tears. He wiped one of her tears away, too, and they chuckled at each other's weakness. Taking a shaky deep breath, she retook his hands and gave them a tight squeeze. He squeezed back, and it gave her the strength to find her words. "When you first joined the guild… I could have never dreamt I would be standing here with you today. I thought you were so annoying." Natsu's mouth widened into a huge grin and he chuckled, looking down at his shoes for a moment before meeting her gaze again. Naomi shifted her stance, and smiled. "But I fell in love with you. I fell… so hard. Maybe it was your passion, and the strength in your beliefs. Giving up just wasn't an option for you. And I envied that. I'm still not sure how I fell for you but I'm glad that I did. My life will never be boring with you by my side, and that's just how I like it." Looking to Makarov, she noticed he was shedding his own tears at this point. She couldn't shake the smile from her face, even though she was trying to be serious. "I promise to always back you up, even when you're being stupid…" The crowd chuckled, and Natsu blushed, shaking his head and smiling. "I promise to always believe in you and your actions, just as you have always had faith in my own." He met her gaze again, and she almost couldn't finish her thought. "And, if something would ever happen to you like when I disappeared… I would never… EVER… give up on you, because you never gave up on me. I love you, Natsu."

He smiled, and brought one of her hands up to his face to kiss it. Naomi blushed as Makarov took over. Bisca's little girl, Asuka, came up in a frilly little orange dress and held out the wedding rings. Natsu took Naomi's, and vice versa. The little girl giggled and bounced back down into the crowd to sit with her mother, and the focus was back on them.

Makarov cleared his throat (and wiped his tears). "Do you, Natsu Dragneel, take this woman to be your wife?"

Naomi's heart skipped a beat as Natsu nodded his head, smiling down at her as he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I do."

"Do you, Naomi Scarlet, take this big doofus to be your husband?" Everyone laughed, and Naomi couldn't help but laugh along as she slid the ring onto Natsu's finger. She looked up at him with loving eyes, and saw he was looking at her the same way. "Of course I do."

"Then by the power invested in the one-week class I had to take to make this official, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Hit it Gajeel!"

Natsu pulled Naomi into himself and wrapped an arm around her, holding her hostage while they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Everyone was clapping as they pulled apart, smiling and looking around the crowd. A nice beat provided by Gajeel on the drums nearby rang out as they made their way down the isle, running towards the other half of the guild. "First rounds on us!" The couple yelled, and everyone stopped clapping and started cheering, following them in a crowded mess outside the stage room and into the bar area.

Cana had somehow managed to beat them there, and was somehow on her second pint of whatever it was. People congratulated the couple as they walked past, and the two sat down at a table in the center of the room, and enjoyed a glass of champagne. They shared another kiss, uncaring of the people around them. Natsu wrapped an arm around his beautiful bride, and smirked. "Excited for the honeymoon?"

Naomi raised her eyebrows at him, taking a sip of her drink. "What? We didn't have one planned."

Leaning close, he toyed with the fabric on her dress. "Just because we're not going anywhere doesn't mean we can't have some fun…" he brought his mouth to her ear and brought his voice to a whisper. "Everyone else is having fun… want to go in the back?" Naomi blushed, but the wedding acted as an aphrodisiac on her emotions, and felt a desire to start their night early.

Nobody noticed them slip away; they were too busy celebrating the event and enjoying their alcohol. They made out the entire way to the utility closet, opening and shutting the door behind them, Naomi didn't even need to break for air as she made quick work of his jacket. It hit the floor, and Natsu was working on her dress as the closet door opened. They didn't even notice until they heard a scream, and looked frantically to see Kidd and Kashi quickly close the door back on them. Looking at each other in the dark, they just shrugged, and their lips collided in another heated kiss.

Outside the closet, Kashi was giggling like a child as Kidd's face flushed a red she had never seen before. "They beat us to it!" She laughed, as she fixed her dress and Kidd tucked his tie back into his suit. Her green eyes were sparkling with amusement as she placed a hand on Kidd's chest. "We should probably go back to the party and cover for them…"

Kashi started to walk away when Kidd grabbed her arm. She looked back at him to see his golden eyes gleaming mischievously. "Nobody will miss them. Or us…" Kashi raised an eyebrow, still turned on from the wedding. Kidd smirked. "Backstage should be empty." With a grin and a blush, Kashi rolled her eyes and nodded while Kidd led her towards the stage room, fully intending to get down to business. Their own kisses became longer and deeper as they made it to the back of the stage. Moving the curtains aside, Kidd started to take off his jacket when they heard a cough. Looking to the other half of backstage, they saw Gajeel with Levy, already naked and covered with a spare curtain.

Kashi's laughter could be heard echoing thought the stage room as Kidd let out a scream of frustration.

"GODDAMNIT!"

(I hope you enjoyed your wedding, darling!)


	45. 44: Kishi Part 1

**Chapter 44**

 **"Kishi: Part 1"**

 **Song: Give Me Love, ? "Lately I've been craving more…"**

Kashi walked around with an angry frown for a week. Kidd gave her a wide birth just to see if she could work it out on her own, but she didn't. Natsu and Naomi were newlyweds and already talking about how many children they wanted, and Kashi couldn't do anything but sleep most of the day, and surround herself in a dead silence when she was awake. Kidd was worried, but he couldn't figure out what her problem could be. He knew that sometimes she just turned like zombies in an apocalypse without reason, and that's why he had decided it was best to see if she could work with her own demons.

She had just thrown on a coat and left the house for a walk since it was raining outside. She loves the rain, especially when she's been down. He theorized that it was so she could cry and nobody could see, but he doesn't care to get wet and decided since she never invited him to go with her, that he shouldn't ask. The wrong decision, really.

He opened his drawer of clothes and dug to the bottom. Kashi never went through his stuff because he kept it perfectly symmetrical and she didn't want to "disturb the peace". That and, she had once spoken before, had no reason to do so and has yet to suspect him of anything to grant reason to disturb his symmetrical stacks of clothing.

What she didn't know, is that he kept a ring he had bought from Earth in there. It was only a month after he had met her back in Death City when he knew there was no one else for him in this world, or the next apparently. Of all the places he has visited, he has yet to meet someone that sparks his interest in any way like Kashi does.

He opened the black box and pulled the ring out of it. He turned it around with his fingers for viewing. It was a black gold, the opposite of white gold, with sparkling white diamonds on the sides and a red gem in the middle that matched her hair. He knew she would love it, but at first was afraid she would reject him. For being an all-mighty grim reaper once, he sure didn't have confidence in himself. When Kashi confessed she was a dragon, he knew that she wouldn't say no to him. She wanted him by her side as much as he needed her by his. But then he got nervous about doing it "right", and kept putting it off. It's been 3 years since then, and it actually hurt him that Naomi and Natsu actually got engaged and married before he would even get the guts to ask Kashi. He tried to tell himself that it made sense, because the two had known each other for years before they ever met Kidd and his friends, but still…

He sighed, put the ring back in its box and buried it once again under his clothes. Honestly, symmetry was just an aesthetic to him whenever Kashi is around. He wasn't as obsessed with it as he once was. She makes him a better person. And he can't afford to wait much longer, lest he lose her. But just last week, he had found something, and promised himself to propose with it when it was finished.

But that's when Kashi started acting funny.

Just as he closed the drawer he heard the front door open. Kashi was back already. He either stood there with the ring for much longer than he had thought, or her walk was surprisingly short. He exited the bedroom and opened his mouth to say "welcome back", but stopped short when he saw her curled up on the floor with her knees up against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, and back pressed to the door. She stifled a sob, and Kidd ran over to her, kneeling down to peel her wet hood away from her head to see her face. She had her face down, so he couldn't see, but when he placed his hand on her wet shoulder she coughed out a sob. He sighed and sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. He felt the ice-cold rain soak through his clothes at the touch, but he pretended not to notice.

Her white hair was soaked and sticking to her head. He wrapped another arm around her and she seemed to calm down at the touch, but continued to cry. It had been a long time since she broke down like this, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what the reason behind it might be.

She took a deep breath and mumbled. "I'm sorry. You're all wet now."

Kidd shook his head and rubbed her back. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. But what about you? You're not fine."

Kashi took an arm away from her knees, raised her head and wiped away the dripping rain from her bangs and the tears from her eyes. "Yes I am."

Kidd gently squeezed her in a hug. "No, you're not. Now tell me what's wrong."

Kashi gulped down the lump in her throat and her voice wavered as she spoke, dangling over the precipice of yet another breakdown. That was one thing Kidd knew about Kashi that nobody else did; you had to force the information out of her, or she would be mad that you didn't try hard enough to get the truth. She's quite good at sabotaging her own relationships. "I swear I'm fine…"

Kidd sighed out loud so Kashi could hear him. She tensed. "Kashi, I know you better than anyone else. You can't play these games with me. Please tell me what's wrong." Kashi sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist, taking Kidd by surprise. She lay her head down on his chest, and they sat in silence for a minute as Kidd ran his fingers through her wet hair. "I'm just tired of going around in circles, you know?" She sniffed, and Kidd immediately thought to the huge surprise he had for Kashi. He smiled. "Hey, don't worry about small things like that. Things could be worse."

Kashi shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

Kidd looked up to the ceiling in thought. What could she possibly mean?

Kashi made sure he couldn't see her face when she spoke. "It's just… I want something. Two things, actually… but my entire being is afraid to ask for them. I don't want to force your hand, or ruin anything. It's just, technically, like you said, things are pretty good, they could be worse."

Kidd looked down and tried to see her expression but she had hidden it away from sight with his shirt. He tried to imagine her expression, or what her eyes might be saying in regards to the words she had spoken, but he was left at a loss for words. He felt her heart rate pick up as she took another breath. "And I'm terrified I'll disappoint you."

He rubbed her back, and pondered her words. They sat in silence for might have been a half hour before Kashi's heart rate dropped back down to normal and she started shivering from the cold, and Kidd tried to forget about what she had said. He let go of her and stood up. She looked at him with her worried green eyes. He smiled down at her and bent down to help her to her feet. "You need to take a nice hot shower to get warm. You're turning into an icicle." She managed to crack a smile, and he once again wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he guided her to the bathroom to make sure she went in there instead of stripping and cuddling into bed with a cold wet head. Because she has done that before. And she ended up with a cold.

"Once the rain stops, I have somewhere I would like to take you."

Kashi nodded gently. "Where is it?"

Kidd shook his head. "It's a surprise."

Kashi blushed, and sighed. "Okay."

Kashi entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her to start stripping off her waterlogged clothes. Kidd entered the hall closet to grab a towel, since there wasn't one in the bathroom, and was standing ready at the door when he heard her start to ask for one. "Kidd, I forgot a…"

He opened the door a creak and snaked his hand into the bathroom with the towel. He could almost hear the smile on her voice when she said "thank you". But in that moment, something happened. As she went to grab the towel, their hands touched, and Kidd raised his gaze from the floor and caught hers through the crack. They held their gaze for what seemed like forever. The longing in her eyes was unmistakable, and Kidd's heart rate picked up so fast he was sure she could hear it. His eyes didn't wander, but he could tell she had already taken off all her clothes. And he wanted to join her.

But he forced himself to break the stare, and blushed furiously. "Take as long as you want." And quickly shut the door, leaving Kashi ready to cry again. Kashi had begun to wonder, with how long they had been together, if something was wrong with her. And now Kidd understood what one of those two things were that she wanted, and had a pretty good idea for the second. He stood with his back against the wall as he calmed himself down to the point where he could hear his thoughts again. She said she was terrified to disappoint him… but in truth, the reason why he never tried going past 2nd base, wasn't just because he was a gentleman and wanted to make sure she was ready, but instead, it was for the exact same reason Kashi was afraid. They tried taking advantage of the moment at Naomi's wedding but the world was against them in that moment. He took a few deep breaths before leaving the wall and gathering some clothes for Kashi. Once he heard she was in the shower, he quietly opened the bathroom door and set them down on the counter. He knew she heard him come in, but they didn't acknowledge each other. He shut the door behind him once again and went straight to his drawer to pull out the ring again. This time he shoved it in his pocket and nodded to his reflection in the mirror over the dresser.

"There's no going back now."


	46. 45: Kishi Part 2

**Chapter 45**

 **"Kishi: Part 2"**

 **Song: Seven Wonders, Fleetwood Mac "If I hope, and if I pray… ooh then it might work out someday…"**

It had taken about an hour of awkward silence, but the rain finally stopped and Kidd pulled Kashi along. They walked side by side in silence as Kidd took turns through the city. Kashi's eyes lit up when they stopped in front of Natsu's old, unused house. Kidd smiled at her expression. She looked at him in curiosity, but he kept his lips sealed. Knocking on the door, Happy poked his head out and smiled. "Natsuuu! Kidd and Kashi are here!"

Natsu unlocked the door and winked at Kidd. Kashi looked around in confusion, though. "I thought you and Naomi got your own place together? And why did you wink? You don't wink." Natsu folded his arms and nodded. "Yeah, but this place is still mine. I let people use it for stuff. Free money!"

Kashi humphed. "That didn't answer my question…" Happy tugged on his shirt. "It's Kidd's turn! We have to leave now, Natsu." The pink haired slayer sighed. Pondering his words carefully to keep from spoiling anything, he spoke. "I think you're just in time too; I'm so jealous man!"

Kidd shook hands with Natsu, and as he and Happy left, Kidd and Kashi entered the building. It was empty, and lacked a living-quality. But Kidd was hiding something here. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What's going on here?"

Kidd smiled. His palms were sweating, and he had to take a deep breath to calm down. "Here's a story. Remember the mission I went on last week? Well, I was awarded with something other than money." Kashi didn't look amused. He kept his smile, and tried to look confident. "This, thing, I knew, would make someone very happy, but I needed Natsu to… make sure it didn't get lost for me while I went to get said person." Kashi's eyebrows scrunched, trying to make heads or tails of what he might be referring to. "But when I got home, said person was really depressed, and I wanted to wait until she felt better. So I kept it here. But since she's not feeling better, I decided she might need it to make her happy again."

Kashi's face relaxed and she smiled, her eyes sparkling. It was always like Kidd to find something to cheer her up. "What did you do, Kidd?"

Kidd took one of Kashi's warm hands in his and led her to one of the closed doors. He told her to close her eyes, so with her free hand she covered her field of vision. His golden eyes sparkled as he opened the door, and leading her into the room, told her to open her eyes. When she did, it took a minute before she understood what she was looking at. Her eyes brightened and a large smile replaced the small one from moments ago as she glanced back and forth between the object and Kidd.

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead she pushed Kidd out of excitement, screeched a little before jumping on the bed with the object. It was an exceed egg. It was white with pale green flames. Kidd smiled as he joined Kashi on the bed. She wrapped her arms and legs around the egg and laid her head down on it. She rubbed her hands around and giggled. "Kitty~"

Kidd suppressed laughing at Kashi. She was acting like a child, but that just meant her depression wasn't even in her mind. She looked up at Kidd, excitement burning in her eyes. "When do you think it will hatch?! What will it look like? Kiiiiiiddd I'm so excited!"

He felt his cheeks begin to hurt from smiling so widely. "I remembered how much you like cats, and I thought it was about time you had one of your own." Kashi's smile never wavered. "But this isn't just any cat; this is an EXCEED!" He nodded. "Being a dragon technically makes you a dragon slayer too, right?"

Kashi lifted her head from the egg and reached her arms over to grab the collar of Kidd's shirt. She pulled him in and kissed him forcefully. He smiled as they pulled away. She blushed, and looked into his eyes with the same longing from earlier. He softened his gaze, and crawling over to her side of the bed he brushed his fingers along her jawline and guided her lips to his as he said "I love you." They closed their eyes as their tongues fought for dominance. When they pulled away for air, the egg wobbled.

Kidd almost went in for another kiss when Kashi shook his shoulder and looked at the egg. It cracked at the top. She plopped the egg back into her lap, and Kidd chuckled. He wrapped an arm around Kashi as they watched the cracks spread across the surface of the egg. Suddenly a hole poked out of the side facing the couple. Kashi glanced curiously at Kidd and he shrugged. As she reached a finger to lightly flake away more of the egg, a tiny little white paw swatted at her. She squeaked, and decided to break the top off the egg. Tilting the remnants revealed a tiny little black exceed with white paws. It was extra fluffy; unlike any exceed they had ever seen. It was a little cotton ball. Kashi reached inside with both hands and pulled out the little kitten, and her hands nearly disappeared in the fluff. It flicked its tiny little eyes between the two of them. They were a pale, minty green. It had a white star inbetween its eyes that reached down to its cute little pink nose. Kidd took the egg and set it down on the floor so Kashi could put the kitten in her lap. She smiled at Kidd, her green eyes sparkling. "She's even symmetrical!"

Kidd laughed. It was cute that she had been around him so long she had inherited second-hand OCD. Kashi pet the kitten as she raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"You're just too cute." He blurted out. She blushed again, and plopped the kitten into his lap with a wide grin. "What are we going to name her?"

Kidd pondered. "Why don't you name her?" He pets the little kitten who swatted its sassy little paws at his fingers. Kashi twisted her face in thought.

"Hmm…the only name I can think of is Midori but it doesn't quite fit… Kishi would be cute but Naomi has dibs on that one… are you sure you can't think of anything? It could honestly take me all day."

Kidd thought for a moment. He switched his gaze between Kashi and the kitten, and realized that they were technically a family of three now. "How about Miwa? Three, beauty, and ring are the most common meanings."

Kashi played with the kitten's tail, mulling it over. She eventually smiled. "I like it!" She pondered over the meanings, and nodded. "Yes, I love it!" Kidd placed the kitten on his head, and it meowed. The two laughed, and Kashi voiced her thought out loud. "Why 'ring' though?"

Kidd blushed, and shrugged, pretending not to know. He distractedly picked the black fuzzball up again and placed it back in his lap. "It doesn't have to mean anything. I just thought I'd be thorough." Kashi took his statement at face-value, and Kidd smiled, and moving the cat for a moment, he pulled Kashi into his lap. He thought he was blushing, but looking at Kashi made him think he looked normal compared to her red face. "K-Kidd, what are you doing?" She giggled as he placed the kitten in her lap. It tried climbing her shirt to boop her face. She was so distracted at the cuteness that she didn't even feel him dig into his pocket. He spoke. "But it does mean something, actually." When Kashi turned to ask what he meant, she stopped, mouth open, and slapped a hands over her mouth in surprise. Her gaze snapped from his hand to his golden eyes which were sparkling. He tried to look serious, but his eyes still smiled. "Kidd?!" Was all she managed to spit out.

"I'll be honest, I've had this stupid thing since back when you were living in my house in Death City." Kashi would steal glances at the ring, trying to focus on Kidd. Her head was spinning, and Kidd was sweating from nervousness. Both their hearts were racing. "Damnit, I love you so much. And I don't know what I'd do without you. Will you…"

Kashi interrupted him. "YES!" The words were muffled behind her hands. Kidd chuckled. "I haven't even said it yet!"

Kashi shook her head, and brought her hands down long enough to say it again. "It doesn't matter; of course I'll marry you!"

Kidd shook his head, a wide smile spreading across his face. "No no."

Kashi looked at him with wide eyes. "I said yes, you can't take it back!"

Kidd laughed, and Kashi attempted to cover her bright red blush. He'd never seen her so flustered before. Or eager. Kidd picked up Miwa and brought her to his face so that they were both looking at Kashi. "Will you marry US?" Miwa meowed, as if asking the same question.

Kashi broke down in happy tears, nodding her head and repeating "yes" a million times over before she flung her arms around Kidd's neck. He let Miwa walk around so he could hug Kashi back. He held on tight; afraid if he let go he might wake up to find it was all a dream. But when she pulled away to kiss him, he knew it was real.

They only broke apart for air. They gasped for breath, and gazed into each other's eyes. Kidd smiled. "I love you, Kashi." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and smiled back. She muttered. "What took you so long?" Before taking his mouth in another kiss. Kidd ran his hand through her hair, absorbing every detail. The next time they pulled away from each other, he leaned Kashi back and took her left hand in his, and slipped on the ring. Tears came to her eyes as she took a moment to look at it. "It's perfect, thank you Kidd." She pecked him on the lips before snuggling her head in the crook of his neck, watching Miwa and holding Kidd's hand. They sat there for what seemed like forever before the sun started to set and they decided it was time to go home.

Miwa sat on Kashi's head as the trio walked home. The clouds had almost disappeared, leaving the sun's warm rays to accompany them on their walk home. Kashi insisted they took the "long" way home that consisted of roads that skirted the town instead of going through it. Kidd looked at her with raised eyebrows as they entered the house. "Why did you want to take the scenic route?" He closed the door behind them, and when he turned around he stopped dead in his tracks.

The look Kashi gave him sent shivers down his spine. Good shivers, but nonetheless it was yet another look he had never seen before from her in a conscious state. She had a perverted smirk and her eyes sparkled with mischief. She took her right hand and played with the new ring on her finger before setting Miwa down on the floor to run around, and used both hands to grab Kidd's collar and pull him close. The blush on her cheeks rose as she committed to saying her thoughts out loud. Her voice was low and quiet.

"Because I don't want anyone interrupting what comes next."


	47. 46: I Do, Too

**Chapter 46**

 **"** **I Do, Too."**

 **Song: Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers "I've hungered for your touch."**

Naomi was standing outside the room divider that Kashi was changing behind. Her blue eyes scanned the room patiently as she waited for her friend to finish putting on her dress. The only other two women in the room, Cana and Mirajane, were trying to calm Kashi's nerves. "You're beautiful, Kashi. Would you come out already?" Cana leaned against the doorframe, swishing a canteen around to listen to the splash of her alcohol. Mirajane smiled, clasping her hands together in anticipation. "Yes, Kashi! Kidd will be stunned. Can we please see?" Naomi shook her head, tapping her fingernail on the divider. A nervous sigh was heard from behind it, and Kashi groaned. "Okay, fine. I'm coming out."

Leaving the personal space from behind the divider, Kashi smiled for her friends. Their faces lit up when they saw her. She wore a sleek white dress that tapered and folded in the front, coming up to a lacey strapless top. It flowed beautifully with her red and white hair, that was done up in a symmetrical half up-half down hairstyle, with a braid along the back of her head that was laced with red flowers, and the rest of her hair perfectly curled thanks to Mirajane. Her lips were decorated with a splash of red lipstick, and her green eyes were brought out with a little black eyeliner and three shades of brown eyeshadow.

Naomi winked, and Kashi's face blushed pink. Mira stepped forward to bring down one more strand of hair, and nodded. "Perfect. You're ready." Kashi took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Are you sure? What time is it?"

Naomi placed a hand on her friend's bare shoulders. "Girl, you gotta calm down! We won't let you be late; I promise." Cana peeked her head out into the hall. "Yo Dad! How much time we got?"

Gildarts called out from somewhere Kashi couldn't see. "We leave in ten minutes."

Kashi nodded as Cana repeated his words. "Ten minutes. See? Plenty of time." Looking around with her worried green eyes, she stopped on Naomi. "Did you see the location? Is everything set up nice?"

Naomi nodded slowly, with an amused expression on her face. "Yes, I did. Everything's just how you wanted it. Now sit down before you kill yourself with worry." Kashi placed a hand on her forehead and sat down in a chair. "How were you so calm for your wedding?"

"I had passed the tipping point from maximum anxiousness to a calm panic."

Mirajane laughed. "I enjoyed my wedding. I don't know why you guys would be nervous. It's not like you haven't seen him before."

Kashi shrugged her shoulders. "But today I need to look my best. What if I disappoint him?"

Naomi chuckled, looking Kashi dead in the eyes. "Dear, remember your "prom" date with Kidd? You were so nervous… and do you remember what happened?"

Kashi smiled, grabbing Naomi's hand for support. "He was so stunned he had a nosebleed."

Naomi smiled, patting Kashi's hand before taking her own back. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure you could show up in pajamas and Kidd would still think you were perfect."

Kashi rubbed her hands together to try and get rid of the tingling, but she couldn't get a grasp on her nerves. She saw Cana looking at her canteen, and nearly jumped. "Cana! Can I have the rest of that?"

She smiled, and walked over to the nervous bride, handing her the canteen. It only had a swig of brandy left in it, but that was enough to act as a placebo on Kashi. Wincing away the horrible taste, she shook her head. "Thanks. I can do this. Right?"

Mirajane helped Kashi to her feet, fixing any hairs and double checking the zipper on her dress. "Yes, you can. Just like a real man!" Everyone laughed at the mockery of Elfman, and Kashi sighed, her shoulders finally relaxing. "Okay. I'm ready."

The three bridesmaids and the bride exited the guild and were helped into the carriage by Guildarts. The large man was trying to hold back tears when he saw how beautiful his favorite guildmate looked in her dress. They all sat in nervous silence as they took off, heading into the sunset on a path that led just outside of town, to a pretty part of the surrounding forest; where Kashi's wedding would be held. She flexed her hands as she felt the tingling creep up into her arms from the anxiety. But she had to stay strong.

The buggy came to a stop, the sun hovering just above the trees. Looking outside the window, she could see the lanterns up in the trees, illuminating the tables and the white cloth drapes that hung down off the trees. With the colors in the sky from the setting sun, it was gorgeous. Kidd was just out of sight, though, so she couldn't see what he looked like.

Music started playing, and the bridesmaids took their leave. They exited the carriage, and Gildarts moved to sit directly across from Kashi. Being so tall, his head touched the roof. He smiled. "Thanks for letting me walk you down the aisle…"

Kashi smiled, her fears pushed aside for the moment. "No, really, thank you for doing this for me. You always were like a father to me. I couldn't imagine anyone else in your place right now." Gildarts smiled softly, and patted her on the shoulder before he opened the door to the change of music, and Kashi knew it was time to go.

Taking a deep breath, she took Gildart's hand and stepped out of the carriage. Looking around, anywhere but down the center, she looked at how beautiful the decorations were. The light from the setting sun cast a beautiful glow on everything. There were lanterns in the trees and the tables were covered in white cloths. Her lips turned up in a smile as she saw the guests; the entirety of Fairy Tail and some friends from other guilds as well. They had even set up a big mirror at one of the tables, on which she could see Soul, Maka, Crona, Blackstar, Tsubaki, and of course Lord Death, Professor Stein, and Spirit; all squished together in nice outfits, watching with smiles of their own.

Kashi had made it halfway down the "aisle" before she had the strength to look up at Kidd. She forgot to breathe when she saw him; he wore a debonair white suit with a red tie. He seemed to sparkle in the light, and she didn't fail to notice his face was flushed, and his smile betrayed his emotions. And now that their eyes met, she couldn't take them off him.

As she climbed the short steps up to the small platform they built for this reason, she had flashbacks to when she first met Kidd. He had saved her from insanity, built her trust, and brought her back home. She will never forget the first time she saw that sparkle in his eyes; the seed of love. Now they almost were aglow with his love for her, and she felt her heart warm at the sight.

Kidd found himself holding his breath from the moment he left the carriage to now; as she stood before him in her gorgeous white dress. He took a breath and grinned, holding back the urge to wrap her in his arms and declare their love eternal right that second. Kashi's cheeks flushed red, as the same thought crossed her mind, too.

Makarov started talking, and neither one payed any attention. They were both caught up in their thoughts. They only snapped out of it when Makarov called on Kidd, holding out his ring for her. Kidd blinked, taking the ring in his hand, slipping it over her finger. He kept a straight face, and watched her carefully. As she reached for Kidd's rings, she paused, looking between him and Makarov. "There's only one?" Her mind blanked; she had been prepared to give him two rings, one for each hand to complete his symmetry. But now that they were in the ceremony, there was only one.

Kidd broke his stoicism with a smile. Kashi confusedly slipped Kidd's ring on the proper finger, and he spoke. "Before I met you, symmetry ruled my life. And even now, I originally wanted two rings to stay symmetrical…"

In the background, Maka painfully grabbed on Soul's arm in the mirror with a wide grin, making him wince, and Naomi had her hand over her mouth to prevent fangirl squeals.

"But the closer we got to this day, I realized that, since you've been in my life, I haven't been as obnoxious about symmetry." Kashi chuckled under her breath, her dimples showing on her right cheek. "And I think it's because I trust you implicitly. When we leave, and I worry about something in the house, you assure me it's fine and I don't feel the need to check it right that second. And sometimes, I notice I don't even worry about it in the first place."

"Kashi." The way he said her name made her heart skip. He looked at her with such a pride she couldn't even begin to describe. "Symmetry was my whole life. I thought I would die without it. But now, I realize, I don't need symmetry anymore… because you're my life now." Tears filled her eyes. "And I promise to make you my priority for the rest of our lives, starting with this one ring, on only one of my hands, to prove it to you."

She coughed a sob, and had to bring a hand to her mouth to choke it back. For years she had firmly believed that symmetry would always mean more to him than she would. Naomi was seizing in her chair, every ounce of restraint in her body being tested to hold her screams of "OTP!" back from everyone, and Maka was basically strangling Soul in the Mirror out of excitement while Spirit and Stein held each other in a hug and cried silently. If he had looked, Kidd would have seen the proudest look Lord Death had ever given him. Even Gildarts looked proud, and he pretended to hate the boy, for the most part.

But he couldn't take his eyes off his bride. Her happy tears pricked some of his own, and he blinked them away while bringing a hand up to gently wipe hers with his thumb.

Kashi smiled, letting her hand move from her lips to his hand over her face. "I remember when you first said you loved me." Kidd blushed, remembering as well. "You chose to leave your entire life behind, just so you could stay a part of mine. And I feel I can never repay you for that sacrifice. Because you gave me a reason to live that day, and I stand here today, to vow that I will continue to live for you, forever."

Makarov said a few words, and everyone cheered as he completed the main ceremony. "You may now kiss the bride!"

Kidd snaked an arm around Kashi's back and leaned her back in a kiss, and Naomi's cheers could be heard loudest in the crowd. They pulled apart with mad blushes, and stepped down off the stage holding hands.

The band started up and Gajeel tried taking over the singing portion, but was shot down quite literally by Levy. They declined the tradition of shoving cake in each-others faces, but fed each other a piece instead; much to Naomi and Maka's enjoyment (whom were holding cameras…and somehow the camera works through the mirror). The sun was completely gone, and the only lighting came from the lanterns in the trees and the fireballs Natsu flung around at Gray for whatever reason. Kidd only parted from Kashi for a moment to hang up the call in the mirror. They all decided to go back to the guild after eating cake for a round of alcohol on the newlyweds, just like Natsu and Naomi had done. It was a hit.

Kidd and Kashi rode back to the guild in the carriage that brought Kashi to the wedding. Everyone else took magic vehicles or ran; it wasn't very far and everyone wanted their free booze. They took the time to themselves and made-out, nearly forgetting that they had to get out and socialize. Kashi had to stop Kidd from trying to take off her dress, and his flustered face was too darn cute.

When they got back into the guild, Kidd and Kashi were bombarded with presents. They designated a table to the gifts and took seats at the bar. Kashi raised her hand to order her favorite, an Appletini, and Kidd chuckled. She glanced over to him, still handsome in his white suit. "What's funny?"

Kidd shook his head, a smile decorating his face. "Wish I could effectively drink with you." Mirajane dropped off Kashi's drink and gave Kidd a water. Kashi chuckled. "You got drunk once. It just cost us a fortune." She looked around the room, 'tini in hand. "And this ceremony is already costing us, sooo…" With a smirk on her face, she spotted Natsu. "Hey! Natsu, get my man drunk again will ya?"

Naomi glared at me, knowing how destructive Natsu tended to be drunk, but he was already cheering. "YEAH! Gray, we've got a job to do!" Kashi slipped off her stool, leaving the bar open for the boys to join her now-husband. She glanced back with a smirk only once to see a look of defeat on Kidd's face as Natsu and Gray tackled him with a list of drinks he needed to try. Kashi strolled over to Naomi, who was enjoying a glass of sweet red wine. "Why would you want to get him drunk? Don't you WANT him to remember this night?" Kashi sat down and chuckled. "He doesn't get effected enough to forget anything. It makes him a little more fun is all."

Naomi sat back, shaking her head. "But don't you want to start off your marriage all sweet and innocent like you two are?" Kashi shrugged. "Really it's just because we won't be able to afford it again for a long while. You know how much these things cost." She nodded, and they both wandered their eyes over to the three boys, who were taking shots, the bottle in front of them, chatting and laughing the whole while. "Besides," Kashi spoke up. "I highly doubt he would let himself get drunk on our wedding."

Naomi sat her empty glass down. "How about you? Going for drunk or buzzed?" Kashi shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure yet. I'm getting at least three of these, wherever that gets me."

Kashi and Naomi chatter for about a half hour, that's how long it took Kashi to down her three Appletinis, and Kashi wasn't feeling horribly effected by the alcohol except for a flush in her cheeks. Natsu came stumbling over with Gray, and Gray went off to find Juvia and Natsu practically fell in Naomi's lap. Kashi laughed. "Have fun there Natsu?" He nodded. "Kidd kicked me out. Said I'd die trying to keep up with him." Kashi nodded, and looked back at Kidd, and he waved at her. "Guess I'll join him now that he's alone again."

Not even looking back at her redheaded friend, she walked over to Kidd, wrapping her arms around his neck while he still sat in the chair. "Hey."

He turned around in her arms, placing a kiss on her lips. "Hey." He looked at her cheeks and sighed. "You didn't get yourself drunk did you?" Kashi shook her head. "Nah, just a flush. Keeps me warm in this dress." He chuckled, tracing an invisible line on her collarbone. "I missed you while you were over there." Kashi would have blushed, if she wasn't already red in the cheeks. Kidd smirked. "Think you're warm enough to get out of that dress?" Kashi giggled, looking away. "Kiiiddd, you simply must be drunk to be so bold." Kidd shook his head. "Nah. I snuck the boys most of the bottle when they weren't looking. I'm just totally in love with my beautiful bride. I didn't want to risk forgetting anything anyway."

He slid off his chair and wrapped Kashi in an embrace, kissing her deeply on the lips before moving down her cheek to the crook of her neck. She held back a moan, and was thankful everyone else in the room was too drunk to notice them. "Kidd…" She whispered. Her entire body felt like it was screaming for him, and couldn't take this torture. "How about the carriage? It's still parked out back."

Kidd's eyes gleamed as he pulled away to meet her gaze. "Want to finish what we started after the ceremony?" She nodded, green eyes sparkling in his amber ones. They looked around, making sure nobody would miss them before slipping out back. They quickly resumed their making out session from earlier, Kidd already anxious to take off his jacket. They opened the door and screams erupted into the air. Kashi's eyes met Naomi's, and she was mostly undressed, Natsu on top being the only thing keeping Naomi's breasts out of view, drunk and uncaring of the visitors. They slammed the door shut, and laughed, hearing Naomi yell at them from within.

"Again, Seriously!?"

Laughing, the two tried shaking the image out of their minds before deciding home was the safest place to go have fun, so they walked and kissed all the way home. Making sure to lock the front door and even their bedroom for good measure, before continuing their night.


	48. 47: Life Goals

**Chapter 47**

 **"Life Goals"**

 **Song: Glad You Came, ? "My universe will never be the same."**

Natsu rubbed his hands in anticipation and Naomi chewed her fingernails out of anxiety. Muffled screams could be heard from behind the hospital door. They had been there all night, and most of the day. Only in this last hour had things progressed, and Kidd disappeared into the room with the doctor for good. Naomi counted the minutes. Natsu pulled on his face. "Can Kashi hurry up already?! It's just a baby, how hard can it be?"

Naomi punched her husband as hard as she could in the shoulder. "Stop it! She's obviously trying her hardest right now." Kidd's voice could barely be heard whispering sweet nothings to try and calm Kashi down. Naomi was sweating for her friend. "I wish they would just come too… I can't stand hearing Kashi in so much pain. And I can't even begin to think what Kidd's feeling right now…"

Natsu sighed. "There's only two, right? Cuz it's starting to feel like there's like, ten or something, to take this long."

Naomi shook her head. "Most babies take anywhere between 24-48 hours to be born. And Kashi's delivering two, so I'm not surprised it's taken as long as it has. Doesn't mean I have to like it…"

The screams of pain subsided, and the two stared at the door. Little baby cries could be heard from the other side. Naomi smiled and bit her lip, grabbing onto Natsu's arm and squeezing it tight. Kashi giggled, and the doctor made Naomi jump by opening to door. The doctor smiled. "Give them a few minutes."

After a few minutes the crying had stopped and Naomi assumed Kashi was nursing. Natsu huffed. "Why do we have to wait?!"

Naomi went to punch him again when the door opened again, this time Kidd was smiling, remnants of tears on his face. "Come on in guys." Naomi had to hold back everything within her to stop from running into the room like a maniac. Natsu held her hand, and when they entered the room the first thing they saw was Kashi, laying her head down on her pillow. She smiled weakly at her friends. "Hey guys…"

Kidd pet her hair and gazed down lovingly as she held the two little bundles of joy. They had a little bit of white hair on their tiny heads. Natsu chuckled. "Looks like they're going to look like you, Kashi." Naomi was holding back the lump in her throat. Her OTP, Kidd and Kashi, just had babies. BABIES. Kashi managed a chuckle. "Naomi, come hold one."

Tears spilled out of her blue eyes as she came closer and Kidd helped hand over one of the little bundles. Kidd smiled down at Kashi. "They're both girls. Perfectly symmetrical." Kashi chuckled and shook her head. Naomi faced Natsu and they oogled at the little girl. Natsu looked up. "Do these little jellybeans have names?"

Naomi looked up to see Kidd playing with the other girl's tiny hand. "Alice and Alyna." Naomi chuckled. "I'm surprised you guys didn't use a palindrome name to make it even more symmetrical."

Kidd smiled. "Actually, a word that makes a different word, or name, spelled backwards, is actually called a Semordnilap." Kashi grabbed his hand and smiled. "And we couldn't find any that fit. Trust me, we tried."

Naomi reluctantly handed back the baby she was holding. Natsu was staring at them. Naomi looked at him, a blush on her face. "What is it?" Natsu booped the baby's nose, and it flinched adorably. Kashi chuckled at its reaction. With a serious face and a serious tone, Natsu spoke. "I want thirty of these."

Naomi looked at him unappreciatively. Kashi strained laughter. "And I thought eight was going to be bad."

Kidd looked up at Naomi, and raised an eyebrow. "You aren't usually the crying type, Naomi. I'm surprised."

She sighed, and poked a stray red hair behind her ear. "Well, actually, I have a reason." Natsu gave her a confused look, and she clapped her hands. "My hormones… Kashi understands. I'm next to be laying in one of those beds."

Natsu put a hand on her shoulder. "Why? Are you sick?"

Kidd gasped and whispered to Kashi. "I knew it!" Kashi winked. "I found out last week."

Naomi blushed, and the two looked at Natsu. Naomi avoided his eye contact, but after a minute that seemed like hours to Naomi, his face went red and he slapped a hand to his face. "Oh shit. You're?!" Naomi smiled, biting her lip, and nodded. She placed a hand on her stomach. "It's still really early, but I'm two months pregnant. And the doc says there might be more than one. We won't know until later."

Natsu was left speechless. Kashi gestured him to take one of the babies, so he did. Naomi watched him, her heart racing. Why won't he say anything? Suddenly he smiled, tears filling his eyes. "I guess I'd better get used to this, huh?"

He leaned into Naomi and kissed her on the forehead. "I can't wait."

Kashi snickered, breaking the two's loving gaze. "Wouldn't it be amazing if you had twin boys to play with our twin girls?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Jesus. You just want to curse me with little Natsus, don't you?"

Kidd nodded. "Can't have it any other way, you know!"

Natsu handed the baby girl over to Kidd, who sat down in the bedside chair and held Kashi's hand. Her tired green eyes kept fluttering shut, and she had to force herself to keep them open. "My darling Kashi should get some rest now."

She smiled. "Thanks for holding on with us, guys. To be honest I was half expecting a dragon to pop out."

They all laughed, and Natsu held tightly onto Naomi's hand as they waved goodbye to the new family and exited the room. Two nurses walked in behind them with little temporary cribs for the babies. Naomi looked up at Natsu who wore a serious expression on his face. They walked down the hall in silence, until they reached the exit. Natsu asked. "What are we going to name them?"

Naomi was taken aback. "Them? We don't know if there's more than one or not. And it's still really early… the doctor said not to get our hopes up until we hit 5 months."

Natsu stopped walking, and grabbed both of her hands. "This is going to be so much fun. You and me… a family. Erza will be thrilled! And Igneel… Igneel would have loved them…"

A lightbulb went off in Naomi's head, and she interrupted her husband. "Igneel." Natsu stopped, and looked at Naomi. "We'll name the first son Igneel."

Natsu smiled so widely, his cheeks hurt. Tears started spilling over his eyes. He was more emotional that Naomi was when she found out. Or Kashi, for that matter; and she was pregnant when she got the news! Natsu pulled Naomi into a tight hug, and she hugged him back, tears beginning to fill her own eyes, happy that Natsu was just as excited for this child as she was. She was worried at first, that he wouldn't want a family. She should have known better, though. He loved caring for Happy like he was a son. Of course he's love a real son.

 _A son. I guess we're having a son,_ Naomi thought to herself.

Back in the hospital room as Naomi and Natsu left the building, Kashi had her head turned to face her two babies, that were both in one hospital crib box. They tried separating them, but they cried until they squished them together in one. Kashi had a hand draped into the box, touching one of the babies' hands. Kidd sat on the other side of the boxes, his arms resting on the edge, his head propped up by his arms. Kidd watched as Kashi and his new twin girls fell asleep. He flexed his hand that was certainly bruised from being crushed by Kashi's own during the births, but he smiled anyway. "Perfect." He whispered, moving his gaze over both newborn girls and landing on Kashi's sleeping face. He reached a hand out and took Kashi's in his, and she squeezed back in her sleep. His eyes drifted shut, and as he fell asleep alongside his girls he sighed.

"You're all absolutely perfect."


	49. 48: Igneel's Legacy

**Chapter 48**

 **"Igneel's Legacy"**

 **Song: Black and White, Regina Spektor "Heart beat fast… mind got slow… this great love is all I know."**

Screaming was heard as Naomi was wheelchaired into the delivery room. Natsu was more or less bouncing off the walls, hearing the pained voice of his wife. The nurse turned to Natsu before they entered a room. "You will have to wait out here for a moment while we prepare her, sir." Naomi reached out and Natsu grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Hey hey…" He whispered. Naomi's labored breathing calmed for a moment as she met her ocean blue orbs with his onyx ones. "I'll be right here. I won't go anywhere." She nodded, and the nurse pulled them apart as Naomi doubled over in another painful contraction, another agonizing scream escaping her lips. Natsu nervously peeked as the door closed in his face.

Kidd and Kashi ran down the halls at the pacing Natsu. "Hey, we came as fast as we could." Kashi gasped for breath. "She's early…" Natsu shook his head, pacing back and forth. "Too early. They weren't supposed to come for another 3 weeks." Kashi rubbed his shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. Even though it's scary, twins have a tendency to come early. Naomi's a small girl, you're lucky they didn't come any earlier."

Natsu grasped his head in his hands. "What if something happens to them? I can't lose her…"

Kidd and Kashi shared a sad glance, knowing firsthand how scary twins can be. Kidd opened his mouth to reassure the worried father-to-be, but the delivery room door opened, and the nurse called out for immediate backup. Natsu pushed Kashi aside. "How is she? What's happening? Can I come in?" The nurse smiled, nodding. "Yes, you'd better get in there. She's delivering these babies at record time. They should be here within the hour."

Kidd and Kashi shared an excited glance. Kashi couldn't help but chuckle. "Lucky b*tch, I was in labor for almost a DAY." Kidd laughed, and the two sat down nearby and waited, straining to hear what was happening inside.

A doctor and a couple nurses entered the room after Natsu. Naomi's head glistened with sweat, her palms sweaty as Natsu took her hand in his. "I'm scared…" She croaked, her voice hoarse from the screaming. A cold sweat passed through Natsu as he placed a kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her hand. "You're going to be okay. The twins are going to be okay. I'm here. Don't worry, okay?" Natsu found himself comforting his beloved with the words he wanted to hear himself. He glanced up and saw the doctor preparing towels.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

Naomi glanced up at Natsu and squeezed his hand. He trembled. No turning back now. She nodded, and Natsu replied for her. "Yeah."

The doctor nodded, taking her time measuring the contractions. It seemed like forever, but only ten minutes passed when she finally said, "It's time to push!"

Kidd and Kashi barely had time to grab a magazine before they saw Natsu's head poke out of the room. His eyes were filled with tears and a grin spread from ear to ear. His voice low, he gestured them to the room. "Come see."

The two entered the room followed by Natsu, and saw Naomi, each arm occupying a tiny little bundle. Natsu death gripped his aunt's shoulders. "Two little boys. The complete opposite of yours!" Naomi smiled. "We already have names, too." Kashi glanced back at Natsu knowingly, and he nodded. "The oldest is Igneel, just like I always said I would." Kidd smiled down at Naomi, one hand reached out to feel the baby's cheeks. "And the other one?" Naomi smiled. "Ignitus." Kashi had to stop herself from squealing. "They're so cute." Kidd nodded. "And so small. I didn't realize 3 weeks made such a big difference." Natsu chuckled. "Your twins look like giants already compared to these two." Naomi sighed, tiredness taking over quickly. "They're healthy though. Thank goodness." Natsu moved around his two friends and picked up the one named Igneel, tears rolling down his cheeks. "He would have been so proud…"

Kashi gave him a hug. "I'm sure he is… part of him is always with you." Naomi teared up, seeing her husband cry over their son. "I'm glad I got to meet him at least once." Kashi gave her best friend a gentle hug, looking over Ignitus. Neither baby had hair yet, and they were too young to know their eye color. "How much you want to bet they both look just like their father?"

Kidd laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Naomi shook her head. "As long as they aren't both pyromaniacs, I'll be happy." The four laughed together, before the nurse came into the room. "Alright, time to let the mother sleep. The father can stay, you other two need to leave." Kashi squeezed Naomi's hand before turning to give Natsu a kiss on the cheek. "Good job you two."

Kidd followed her out, and Natsu placed both babies into the little portable crib. He moved it close to Naomi's bed. Natsu leaned over, kissing both his little boys on the head before moving to give Naomi a kiss on the lips. He smiled, looking into her big blue eyes. "I love you." Naomi reached and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing it tight. "I love you too." They turned their gazes into the crib, looking at their two little bundles of joy sleep away. Natsu sat in the nearby chair, looking over them, as Naomi fell asleep still holding his hand. His eyes filled with tears again as he heard a voice in the back of his mind as his other hand lay on the tops of their little heads; one all too familiar and painful to the heart.

"I knew you'd make me a proud grandpa someday."


	50. 49: Every Story Has an End

**Chapter 49**

 **"Every Story Has an End…"**

 **Song: You're Still the One, Shania Twain "Looks like we made it…Still going strong."**

 ***squidward voice* FUUUTUUUREEEEEE***

Little Ignitus and Igneel, twin boys with short spikey pink hair and onyx eyes, ran around the living room of a house. They were chasing twin girls; both with white hair, green eyes, and three red stripes on opposite sides of their heads. The girls were bawling, and the boys laughing. Kashi emerged from the kitchen, a cast iron in hand. "You boys better fix the symmetry of this house or it won't just be the girl's wrath on your heads."

Ignitus, the oldest of Natsu's twins, yelled while throwing a pillow across the room. "Kidd doesn't scare me… symmetry is stupid!" Kashi sighed, the youngest of her twins clinging to her skirt. "Please make them stop mommy!"

She ran her fingers through her child's white hair. Before she had a chance to speak, the front door opened, and a heavily-pregnant Naomi came through the door. The boys dropped whatever they were holding and disappeared behind the couch. "Kashi," Naomi snickered, peering around the destroyed living space "It seems you handled them very well today."

"I had them under control until I started making supper. And that was five minutes ago." Naomi chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "It never fails… the second you take your eyes off them." Naomi set her errand bags on the floor and shut the door behind her.

A thud was heard, and now it was one of the boys who was crying. Alice had thumped Ignitus on the head with a plastic, yet still firm, baseball bat. "Take that dragon scum!" The boys ran out from behind the couch in fear of the strongest girl, and took shelter behind their mother. A large goose-egg poking out of Ignitus' hair.

Kashi rolled her eyes and went back into the kitchen. Naomi turned her gaze to Alice. "Did you forget your mother is also dragon scum?" She never faltered. "No she isn't. Just these two." Kashi laughed, and Naomi sighed. "Okay boys… time to clean up Kashi's house."

The boys groaned. "But mooooommmmm!" Naomi shook her head, pushing the boys off her legs. "No buts! You made it a mess, you make sure everything is back where it belongs, and you had better get it done in ten minutes. I need to get home and take a nap."

Naomi ignored the groans of her children and joined Kashi and Alyna in the kitchen. She sat down heavily into one of the dining chairs. "8 months pregnant and I'm STILL the one making all the money for this family." Kashi shook her head, washing a dish. "When is Natsu due back from this mission anyway?"

Naomi shrugged. "Sometime this week. He'd better be here for this baby that's all I've got to say." Kashi smiled, now stirring a pot of soup. "With some money, lord willing!" The two girls laughed. Alyna joined the others in the living room and it seemed as if they were all getting along playing "fix the symmetry". Naomi rubbed a hand on her belly, and glanced up at Kashi. "So, when are you guys going to have another?"

Kashi cringed. "Are you kidding me? I was going to be done with one, and I got TWO." Naomi chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. "Oh really? You really expect Kidd to be happy with any less than eight children?" Both of their minds flew back to that day in the creek, when they went on their first big mission. Kashi sighed, the sound of defeat in her voice. "You won't let that go, will you?" Naomi shook her head. "Not in a million years."

Naomi watched Kashi cooking and thought about Kidd. "How is Kidd's new job going?"

Kashi smiled. "Really great. Mira lets him organize and track orders for the guild. His way of doing it is confusing to most people, but they haven't run out of anything since he started. Mainly because he has to order two of everything, but in the case of Cana and her favorite beer, it comes in handy."

Kashi's eyes lit up, and she dug through a drawer full of letters. "I almost forgot! Thinking about organizing made me think of it… this came in the mail, it has your name on it but was addressed to me? No clue." Naomi took the letter from Kashi with careful hands.

Tearing it open, she read the contents. Kashi watched as her face contorted from confusion, to happiness, to pure hysteria. "READ THIS!" Kashi jumped at the sudden noise. Naomi laughed out loud, banging her hand on the table as Kashi read the letter out loud.

"Dear Naomi, I wanted to inform you that you are now a free woman. You may do as you please. I realize it has been many years, but Sebastian recently managed to free my soul from the Devil's grasp and has brought me back to my planet. He claims you aren't even in this universe anymore, and I don't know how to comprehend such a thing. However, I must trust him to deliver this to you. The reason I am freeing you from your commitment to me is because I have caved into my yearnings for the butler. As the kids nowadays will say, I'm "hella gay". I apologize for all I put you through, and I hope you find happiness as I have. Sincerely, signed Ciel Phantomhive."

By the end of the letter Kashi was crying tears of laugher, as was Naomi. The two sets of twins were standing in the doorway, faces expressing pure confusion. When Kashi managed to wipe away her tears, she shooed away the children, and they shrugged their shoulders, going back to cleaning. Naomi chuckled. "I don't think Ciel has even crossed my mind since I got my memories back."

Kashi coughed, her throat dry from the laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised!"

There was a click heard from the other room, and all the twins were heard screaming. Naomi and Kashi turned their un-worried expressions towards the entryway. Kashi took a step to go see what the kids were turning them deaf about, when all the twins ran towards the out of sight front door and yelled "DADDY!" Kashi looked confused as she went to investigate why all of the kids would call Kidd their father, when a pink haired man turned the corner into the kitchen with his two miniature selves draped over his shoulders. Naomi gasped, and Natsu's classic laugh filled the room. "I'm back!" Kidd rounded the corner with his two girls clinging to his pants, landing a quick kiss on Kashi's lips. "Look who I found." Kashi smiled. "Naomi was just talking about how he was running out of time to get back."

Natsu plopped his kids down and they ran off to finish cleaning, and he gave Naomi a big kiss on the lips, before kneeling and feeling her enlarged tummy with his hands. "I'm so glad I made it back in time…" Naomi smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Just barely, stupid." Their eyes met, and Kidd scoffed in the background. "Get a room… preferably none of ours." The four adults laughed, and Kidd messed up his girls' hair before they ran off back into the living room. Kashi gave Kidd another quick kiss before resuming the cooking she had been distracted by.

Natsu stood up, a huge smile on his face. "I got paid extra~ we will have enough for at least four months to live on after this baby comes."

Kidd sat in a chair opposite of the expecting couple. "That's amazing! I remember having to find jobs after our twins were born; it was awful leaving them so soon." Naomi chuckled. "I remember. Between you and Kashi, your tears could have flooded the town. 'I miss the kids, I miss Kashi, blah blah!'" Kashi butted in. "And you don't remember when Natsu had to leave for the first time after YOUR twins were born?" Kidd smirked. "I recall Natsu breaking down on his job and burning down ten buildings." Naomi and Natsu flinched, the once-distant memory returning. Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose I take the over-emotional cake huh?" They all nodded. Naomi sighed. "We just paid that off too."

The four kids ran into the room as Kashi was finishing up making soup. Ignitus jumped into Natsu's lap where he sat on the floor. "Mommy said she needed a nap. Can we eat first?" Naomi nodded, her eyes droopy with tiredness. "Yes, if Kashi will allow us." Kashi looked over her shoulder, turning off the stove. "Everyone can eat, I made plenty. Kidd dear, could you grab some bowls out of the cupboard for me?" Kidd got up from his chair to help serve, and Natsu took a proper place around the big dining table instead of the floor, plopping Ignitus beside him. Igneel jumped up on a chair next to his brother, and the twin girls jumped up on the opposite side. As Kidd and Kashi started laying out the table, Natsu saw the letter sitting on the table. "What's that?"

Naomi bit back a giggle, and handed the letter to her husband. "Read it; it's a letter from Ciel. He was the one who…"

Natsu's eyebrows scrunched into a frown. "Tried to marry you, I remember the story."

Kidd overheard and turned to Kashi. "How did Ciel get a letter to you guys?" Kashi shrugged. "His butler is a demon, he has some wicked powers." Kashi brought the pot to the table, and started ladling soup to the kids.

The group chatted back and forth, the children arguing and adults laughing and joking. They spent the afternoon together, reminiscing old times over the letter. Naomi brought up the time Kidd was stalking Kashi and her around the market right before their big fight with Asura. Kashi remembered the first time Naomi came up to her in the guild. Natsu brought up the time in the hotel room when Kidd saw Kashi in her underwear for the first time; that story was a hit. Kidd told unheard-of stories about what the boys talked about during their dip in the spring during their first big mission together, much to the dismay and vocal disproval of Natsu. The children listened with open ears and watched their families with big observant eyes. Really too young to understand or probably remember these stories, it fascinated them all the while. And as they went for third helpings and finished the pot of soup, the children fell asleep on the table as the adults finished whispering their stories, arguing over little details that had changed over time. As the men got up to clean up their children for bed, Naomi glanced at Kashi, who was smiling right at her. They nodded, both mentally agreeing that even though the trip to get here was more than a little difficult, it was god damn well worth it. And as they watched their husbands woo their children in a half-slumber to walk themselves to their beds and the couch, they were more than happy with the outcome.


	51. 50: But with Every Ending

**Chapter 50**

 **"But with Every Ending Comes the Opportunity for a New Beginning"**

 **Song: Main Theme Soundtrack from the movie 'Powder'**

Many years had passed since we last saw Kashi, Naomi, Kidd and Natsu. They weren't the only ones with children now, either. Practically everyone had children of their own, and if you thought the guild was busy before with Natsu and Gray as frenemies, wait until you hear about the next generation.

The parents were all in their thirties. Time sure flies fast, but nobody looked to age a day. In the guild, there had just been a group meeting, and all the children were forced to attend. Even the youngest, who clocked in at five years old, was there. Makarov had just finished his speech, and everyone had already continued doing whatever it was that they were doing prior to his announcement. As you sit down in a random location, you realize you are sitting in the booth next to Kidd and Kashi. Kashi leaned into her husband as he wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm in comfort. She sighs. "Look at them. Aren't they cute?"

Your eyes travel where Kashi's green eyes were looking. One of their twins was cuddling in a dark corner with one of the Natsu twins. Kidd chuckled. "Reminds me of us a little bit."

Your eyes wander. You see lots of familiar faces, and some young ones with familiarities in their builds. You listen in on the conversation in hopes of learning who everyone was. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Kashi shake her head. "I'm worried about Alice though. She hates them so much…"

Kidd pecked Kashi on the cheek. "Igneel is a good kid. Even though they were mortal enemies as children, I think it's cute that Alyna likes him. Alice will just have to deal with it."

The two babbled on a little bit about Alice and Alyna, their twin girls, and then Igneel and Ignitus, Natsu's twin boys. The boys used to tease Alice and Alyna about their obsessions with symmetry, and would make things asymmetrical just to piss them off. Alice never got over her hatred, and Alyna learned to love in spite of it. You nodded to yourself, understanding that Alice was mean and unforgiving, while Alyna was almost an exact copy of her kind mother. Igneel grew to be kind as the youngest twin and apologized for his behavior as a child, while Ignitus remained a bully to this day.

Suddenly, a younger boy around the age of ten ran up to the couple. He had large golden eyes, black hair with red bangs. This must be another child of Kidd and Kashi. The boy pointed toward the bar. "Shig and Luki tried to steal Cana's beer keg again." Kashi looked at Kidd, who sighed. "Alright, I got it. Thanks, Hachi." The boy, named Hachi, took Kidd's place next to his mother and didn't cower away like most young boys tend to do when she wrapped him in a hug and kissed him on the cheek. Kashi whispered. "You're my favorite, you know that?"

Hachi rolled his golden eyes. "Yes, mom."

Kidd soon walked past dragging a white-haired boy with green eyes. He wore a leather jacket and tried to look tough, but when his father was dragging him by the ear, he looked like any other misbehaved kid. Kashi called out to the boy. "Shig. What did we tell you?"

Shig glared his green eyes at his mother. "YOU'LL NEVER STOP ME!"

At the same time, Lucy walked the other direction, with the boy you assumed to be Luki thrown over her shoulder. He had spiky orange hair, and brown eyes. He must be hers. But with who? Lucy dropped him on the floor like a bag of dirt. He yelled out in pain, then just stayed on the ground with a moan. They stood in front of Kashi. Hachi ran off to play with his friends. Kashi sighed. "I'm sorry… I don't know why Shig does these things. It's supposed to be the terrible twos, not the terrible sevens."

Lucy shook her head, her golden locks swaying with her. "Oh no, Kashi, it's not Shig's fault. Luki's just a buttface, and it's unfortunate that your son hangs around him so much."

Luki wined. "Maaa!"

Kashi chuckled. "I don't understand though… I tried my best to raise Shig right, I really did. We thought they couldn't get any worse than Alice." Lucy laughed. "And he didn't even have Natsu's twins to mess him up!" The two laughed, and when Luki tried to crawl away, Lucy planted a foot on his back, keeping him there. "I'm calling Leo later to make sure his SON gets proper treatment."

You smiled. So Lucy did get together with her lion celestial spirit, after all? That's really cute. You stood up, unnoticed by everyone, and wandered around the guild. You stopped nearby Levy, who was heavily pregnant. Too heavily, for being at 6 months. She leaned up against the bar, and got a water from Mirajane. She had a little girl, six years old, hanging on her side. "Mommy! Ask the lady where Wintermist is!"

Mirajane smiled as Levy looked at her with an apologetic gaze. "Ruby, she has a name. Why don't you ask her?"

The little girl, who had bouncy black hair and ruby red eyes, crawled up onto a bar stool and clenched her little fists. She belted out her question with a voice almost too loud for a six year old. "Mira, do you know where Wintermist is?!"

Mirajane winked at Levy and tuned her attention to the little girl. "He's in the back helping his dad count inventory. Why don't you tell him he can take a break?" Ruby jumped off the chair, and Levy flinched. "Be careful, honey! Sheesh…" Gajeel walked over to his wife and kissed her. "I see Ruby is her usual self." Levy nodded. "How did the guitar lessons with Steel go?" The boy in question, who looks to be about the same age as Hachi, walked up and hugged Levy. She smiled and hugged back. The boy, with spiky black hair shaved on one half of his head, and brown eyes so dark they looked black, half-smiled. "I can play an entire ACDC song by myself now."

Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck. "Son did a great job. He's gunna be better than me, that's for sure." Levy looked around. "Where's Lucille? She was supposed to practice singing while you practiced guitar, wasn't she?" Steel shrugged his shoulders. "Around. She's eleven, she thinks she's old enough to wander without permission now, you know…" Gajeel swiped Steel on the back of his head. "Be nice to your sister."

Then a girl with blue hair in pigtails sharing the same eyes as Steel sat down next to the group. "I wasn't 'wandering'. I needed to grab the next book in this series from the library before they closed." Levy smiled widely. "I'm glad at least ONE of my children like books as much as I do."

Steel punched his father playfully in the shoulder. "Imma hunt down Hachi and hang for a while, kay?" His father nodded, and he ran off in search for Kashi and Kidd's oldest son. Levy looked at Lucille. "Are you still friends with Kishi?" She nodded, focused on her book.

Ruby ran past, chasing after a boy with fluffy white hair and bright blue eyes. His skin tone was dark, and the corners of your mouth lifted into a smile as the image of a young elfmann crossed your mind. Speaking of the devil, he joined Mirajane behind the counter and sighed. "My boy is going to be a real man someday!" Evergreen came up behind him and wrapped an arm around one of his. "Just like his father." Elfman had tears in his eyes from the compliment. You shook your head; they hadn't changed a bit. Elfmann looked to his sister. "Your son is shaping up to be a real man, too!" Mirajane blushed. "Don't say that around Laxus; he already prizes his son more than me."

You walked away from the group, and weaved through the crowd until you found another familiar face. Natsu was butting heads with Gray while Naomi and Juvia sat back and watched. A red-haired girl with black eyes, about ten years old, had her arms folded, half watching the fight and half watching Hachi and Steel leave the guild. Naomi pushed her red hair out of her face, and gazed curiously at the girl. "Which one are you dating, Kishi?"

The girl's face turned as red as her hair. "MOMM!"

You chuckled. Naomi and Natsu had a girl, too. Juvia chuckled while Naomi pestered her daughter. "Juvia would bet its Steel. He's cute."

Naomi playfully glared at Juvia. "Don't let Kashi hear you say someone's cuter than Hachi; he's her favorite child, you know."

Naomi continued. "They're both cute. And good kids. I approve of either, really." Kishi covered her face. "Mooooommmmmmm…." Natsu broke away from Gray for a moment to look at his daughter. "You'd better not be dating one of Kidd's boys! You'll be grounded FOREVER!"

Kishi placed her hands on her hips. "Then why isn't Igneel grounded?"

Natsu punched Gray in the stomach. "Because I said so!"

A young-adult female matching Gray's appearance walked past, arms folded, gaze uncaring. "Gray never grounded me…but then again, he never cared to notice I was even born." Juvia reached out for the girl, and you deduce that she must be Juvia and Gray's child. Gray stopped Natsu's next attack, and glanced back at the girl. "Uria, that's not true and you know it!" Juvia glanced an apologetic smile to Gray as Uria grabbed a mission off the board and left the guild without a word. She sighed. "Juvia knows she can't hate you forever."

You shook your head. This is a lot of new faces. All the developments with the guild and the relationships was awe-inspiring. You turned around to leave the Dragneel's and Fullbuster's behind when you spotted a girl with violet colored hair and eyes sitting alone at a table, eating a strawberry cake. She looked very lonely, so you made your way over and sat down next to her. She was about to raise her head and ask who you were when one of the Natsu twins sat down beside her. You were confused. Looking back, you saw one of them was still with Alyna, so this one must be Ignitus. You were about to tell him to leave the poor girl alone when he spoke kind words. He was really quiet. "Your mom still not back?"

The girl shook her head. "No. Erza said this mission might take a while, but I didn't think she would be gone this long." He smiled at her, and looked around to make sure nobody was looking. You were invisible again. "Well, I'm always here if you need me, Violet."

She nodded in thanks, and he winked before getting up and leaving. You blinked. Ignitus mustn't be a real jerk, just pretending to be. You stood up to leave the table and saw a confrontation between, who must be Alice, and Ignitus. Alice pushed him in the chest, nearly toppling him over. Her red eyebrows scrunched in anger, her green eyes blazing. "What were you doing with my girl?" Ignitus scoffed. "I was just asking if Erza was due back, that's all." Alice pushed a finger in his face. "I don't believe you."

Violet stood up from her seat. You were in-between her and the fighting pair, but nobody saw you. "Just drop it, Alice."

Alice bit her cheek. "You stay away from my best friend, got it?" Ignitus opened his mouth to argue, but tears formed in her eyes as she stopped him. "You stupid pink-haired pyromaniac jokesters already stole my sister… don't take my best friend, too!"

She ran away into the back of the store, and those who did hear the confrontation pretended not to notice. Natsu walked up to Ignitus, done with his duel with Gray, and lead him out of the guild for a talk. Violet sat down, ignoring the few stares, and took a bite of her cake. It only took a minute before the chatter was back up to a normal volume, and Violet ate in peace. You walked over to Makarov, who was sitting on the bar. He looked around suddenly, like he sensed something, but didn't vocalize his thoughts. He sighed, looking back over to Violet. "It's too bad Erza is gone all the time. Violet really needs her mother."

Cana was sitting next to Makarov, and she shrugged her shoulders. "The entire guild is her mother. We basically raised her."

Makarov nodded. "Even though you spent time with your father, it didn't really matter until you told him who you were, did it?"

Cana blushed, and looked away, taking a swig from her bottle of alcohol. "I guess not."

Makarov pointed out a boy with short, spiky white hair and bright orange eyes. "And poor Maxel… he tries so hard to be her friend but his father keeps dragging him away for training."

Maxel was leaning up against a wall next to the one and only large man with lightning-yellow hair in the same spiky style. He had scars and looked mean. Cana nodded. "Laxus sure is hard on him. Mirajane lets him be tough, though."

Makarov laughed. "She's even worse!"

The two laughed, and you skipped around, looking at all the faces. You met fifteen new people today, and saw that Master Makarov was still alive and well. You even saw Happy with Carle, and Pantherlily flying around with Miwa on his back. All these children from the people you call your friends. Even though they can't see you anymore, you were always there for them. As you made your way downstairs to the secret room, you overheard Levy screech. "TRIPLETS?!" You heard Gajeel's voice boom over all the cheering from the guild. "I can start a family band!"

Chuckling, you made your way down the stairs. "The guild sure has grown…especially Naomi… It's too bad she can't see me, but I suppose she doesn't need me, either." Your feet didn't make a sound on the hard ground as you made your way to the crystal with your body in it. You pushed your golden locks back behind your ears, and smiled up at yourself.

"They may not be able to see me anymore… but I'll always be here." You touched your hand to the cold stone, and your spirit dissolved back into your body. Thinking to yourself, you relaxed your mind back into an indefinite slumber.

 _My name is Mavis… and I couldn't be any happier with my guild._

 **Fin**


	52. Epilogue

**Epilogue: About the Story**

Spoiler alert for Soul Eater Manga

If you are one of the few who made it through the entire story, you might have found yourself attached to these characters and the universe I meshed together. This entire story is based off a friend's dream she had. The person Naomi is based on, dreamt up a version of what you just read, and I decided I needed to make it into a real story. I had no intentions of making it longer than ten chapters… but as I kept writing I realized, this wasn't going to end "well" in a mere ten chapters, and nobody but us would really understand what the heck was going on. And if I was going to write something, it is for sure going to be good enough for the public! So, I dug deeper, made a timeline, and from that moved them around to create an outline, and started from scratch.

By the time I realized I was in for a very long haul, I had planned out almost 30 chapters. I was almost finished with these thirty chapters when I hit a rut and decided to sit down and read what I had written thus far. I ended up re-reading it, and adding more chapters, rewriting paragraphs and entire chapters… until I was happy again. Then I realized I had now planned for 48 chapters. That wasn't going to work for someone with OCD such as myself no… it needed fifty! I planned a couple fillers to bridge the gap and round off the chapter numbers.

And as I write this I have one and a half chapters left before this lengthy process is complete. I am merely procrastinating because, whenever I was bored or in a rut, I would come to this story and write, and to be honest, I'm going to miss it. And I'm going to miss the personification of myself, Kashi. I gave her everything I want in real life, and it's harder to fall into the illusion of the story when I'm not adding to it anymore. And the story still isn't ending completely how I imagined. Although, the original was too complicated and left out too many "group" scenes that I wanted to have at the end. And it wasn't exactly a happy ending.

In the original version, when Kidd first comes into Fairy Tail and contacts his father, Lord Death actually creates a magic tool that allows one person at a time to traverse plains of time and space once every thirty days. This allowed for the continuation of the story in Death City, since I hated stealing away Kidd from his friends and family. It also allowed for the Soul Eater timeline to stay active; Lord Death would pass, Kidd would take his place, and Kidd would work from Death City most of the time.

Kidd would go on to discover information on Asura and how to free Crona from the black moon. He needs to leave for Death City, and won't be back for eight months. He says it would be safer for Kashi to stay here and promises to mirror call every day. Skip to 7 months later. She's talking to him in this little handheld mirror from Fairy Tail. He promises to be back in a few weeks. Soul and Maka show up with news, and he has to go. He tells Kashi he loves her, and hangs up. She sets down the mirror, and she brings a hand to her belly. She's eight months pregnant… and he doesn't know.

He comes back to Fairy Tail a few weeks later and finds Kashi pregnant, and that scene was going to be adorable, I tell you! Kidd used his soul perception to find out they were having twins.

The twins were to play an important adult role. The two girls, Alyna and Alice, have the Lines of Sanzu on opposite sides of their hair. This is not just for aesthetic. They were supposed to be two halves of a whole Lord Death. And as we know, once Lord Death's successor gains full power, the prior Lord Death dies, giving up his power to the younger generation. So, when they got older and wanted to explore their whole powers, the twin girls would go off and live in Death City, leaving their parents behind in Fairy Tail, thus ending the connection between the two worlds in order to keep their father alive.

I am a sucker for keeping things in the main story arcs and keeping things in character, which is why I wanted that ending for Kidd and Kashi at first. But as I said, there was no room for Natsu or Naomi, and having to send off their symmetrical twins to go live on their own in Death City wasn't exactly "everyone lived happily ever after".

And in another version of the story, Kashi and Kidd never lost their near-immortality and would have ended up watching all their friends die. Not fun.

Looking back, I am proud of how I ended it. It works out well and everyone gets to stay together. And I realized while writing Kashi's wedding that they can still keep in touch with their friends in Death City; albeit a long-distance relationship, but they weren't "gone for good" and I only wish I had included them more often. But I was down to four chapters remaining when I realized I could include them and decided not to go back for the fifth time, lest I create another loophole and need to add ten more chapters!

Anyway… I wrote this epilogue to thank you guys. You didn't have to read this, and I really appreciate it. If you liked it enough, make sure to leave a comment and I can always continue the story or make mini-series. If you want more Naomi and Natsu one-on-one I can make that happen, or even a little mini-series surrounding the twins and how they grew up. Or make a brand new story just for the next generation! It's all up to you guys. If you ask, you just might receive! Because like I said; I am truly sad to be closing this book, and will take any excuse to open it up again. Have a wonderful life, and I hope to see your usernames popping up on my stories in the future, too 3

~Trompy

 **P.S.**

 **I wrote the last word for the last chapter at**

 **2:28 AM** **January 16** **th** **, 2018**


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